When You Can Do Anything
by Renegade Seraph
Summary: AU Squinoa Journalist Rinoa Heartilly will do anything for her stories, even facing once again, Squall Leonhart. But something is being plotted that will destroy Esthar forever. Can Rinoa figure it out before it's too late? Sequel to 'Forget who you are'
1. Back again

This is a sequel fic to my story 'forget who you are'. I've tried to make this a new story in its' own right, but based in the same world that the first story was told in. Hopefully you can read this without having to read the other.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything connected to final fantasy 8, but the story idea however is mine!

**Summary:** Rinoa, the journalist that became famous for her book published about President Loire and his family, soon after received a new job offer. The number one newspaper office in the world, Esthar Papers, offered her a job working for them. Without looking back Rinoa had accepted it, and moved straight away. She now works with a small team of highly ranking journalists from all over the world. 

Meanwhile life is moving on around her, and her friends are beginning to get restless. Will destiny pull them all back together again? It seems only Rinoa has the power to control that. But with so much work, will she have time for anything else? 

But amongst all the happiness, something is being planned that will change Esthar forever. Can Rinoa figure it out before it's too late?

**"When you can do anything....You forget that you shouldn't" ~ Squall**

Have you ever been given something that you couldn't give back? Something that was thrown at you that you couldn't control. Without the power to say no, you were thrust into everything and nothing at the same time. 

Squall Leonhart could identify with this well. He couldn't escape his life, it was a part of him. From the moment he had been born, he had been thrown into the light of the media. Like being born into royalty, you didn't understand that you were different, until you were singled out. Squall resented his life. He had grown up in the wrong way, left to follow his own rules in the glaring headlights of the press. 

At five, to set an example he was sent to Garden. An experience he was not likely to forget. At the age of seven he fired his first gun at the enemy, shot him dead and watched the blood spill from his wound in a crimson puddle. The horror of this abrupt meeting with death scarred him. His cheerfulness became subdued and eventually lost in horror, as he struggled to come to terms with his memories. Proving his abilities despite his young age, he was hired along with a bunch of other SeeD's on a mission that was about to shape his future life. Squall was the only one who ever returned from that fateful mission. 

Finally, after years of seeing things so horrific that even horror films were not even allowed to show. His emotions became dead, and he lived his life through a mask and a cold heart. 

His fate seemed set to ruin him until it changed in an unexpected way. Destiny threw in his path someone that had been able to get past his cold exterior, and awaken old forgotten feelings deep inside. But this person had left him to explore her own path, leaving Squall with a longing and an empty feeling in his soul.

**At the beginning again**

The newspaper hit the dining table with a thud, followed by the rattle of keys and the slamming of the front door. The newspaper rippled, as the forced air from the door crashed into it in a short powerful wave, flipping its pages until settling back down and remaining still. The headline stood out from the front page in bold unashamed letters. The words had mocked the owner of the paper in a way that and outsider looking in, wouldn't understand. 

**KILLER ESCAPES DELING MENTAL INSTITUTION **

Rinoa took her phone out of her small brown bag and started tapping in the numbers while walking towards her car. The small silver machine gleamed at her in the morning light, as it stood lonely on the black tarmac road. Rinoa stared at it with her ear to the phone and an annoyed expression on her face. The sound of the ringing tone stopped abruptly, as someone on the other end picked up the phone. There was silence, and then a familiar voice with a greeting. 

"Wreaths, what the hell is this on the front page?" Rinoa fumed as soon as the word 'hello' sounded in her ear. 

"Rinoa, listen..." 

"No, why wasn't I put on the case? You promised me that you would get me a good story soon." Rinoa said, forgetting that she was speaking to her superior. This had been frustrating her for a long time now, but until this day she hadn't complained. 

"Rinoa I'm sorry, I'm still looking for something suitable for you." 

"You think I can't do the job don't you!" Rinoa said almost speechless. An exasperated exhale of breath sounded on the other line. 

"No I don't think that at all. Just get to the office and we will talk about it there." A lonely dial tone was heard after a click, showing that Rinoa was the only one left still listening to the receiver. 

"Damn." Rinoa cursed as she jammed her keys into the car door and turned them to unlock it, what had she got herself into now?

The Esthar office was different from the Galbadia newspapers building in many ways. Her years at Galbadia had made her appreciate the grandness of the modern building. But the differences were all to Rinoa's advantage. For a start, everything worked. Faulty machines were not the normality here, when you needed to sort your files the photocopier actually worked. 

The white marble floor that sparkled in the artificial light, made Rinoa's shoes click as she walked. Her feet sounded confident, but her legs shook slightly as she walked alone with her head held high. Every time she set foot in the tall building, she had a sudden remembrance of her first day arriving. The excitement and anticipation of the first day in the office, was awaken with every step inside the revolving doors. 

"Hey Rin, you going to the office meal next week?" Asked a light voice from a figure beside her. 

"I haven't thought about it." Rinoa answered with a tone of voice that stopped all enquiries. 

Ever since her move from the paper offices at Galbadia, nothing had become any easier. The glittering city still held its charm, but now it was real and a part of her life. The dazzling things she had seen here before, had all been viewed with the belief that she would never see them again. At least not any time soon, and because of that, she had been eager to approve of everything. 

Living here made her feel as though the dizziness had been lifted from her eyes. Everything suddenly became real and she saw things for what they really were, rather that what she wanted them to be. The beauty still called her attention, but so did the new awareness of the amount of traffic and mechanical noise. The one thing that Rinoa began to notice was that there were no birds. Something that she just took for granted and had never thought about before, was suddenly lost. This lack of nature made Rinoa feel as though she wasn't really alive. 

Pressing the elevator call button, Rinoa considered her thoughts while she waited for the doors to open and take her up. After a few more seconds it arrived, and poured out it's passengers before allowing Rinoa on. 

The elevator was being particularly slow today; at least it seemed so in Rinoa's opinion. It stopped finally with the familiar feeling of weightlessness in the pit of the stomach and shuddered as the doors opened. Rinoa stepped out with a false air of confidence, and headed towards floor 8's head office. Raising her hand, she clenched her fingers into a fist and knocked smartly on the door. 

"Come in." Replied a male voice from behind the wooden door. Rinoa looked at the gold nameplate on the door before making any move to open it. "Come in." Repeated the voice from inside. Rinoa swallowed her growing anxiety by reminding herself that she had caused the reason to be summoned here. 

Rinoa opened the door cautiously, and looked in before moving inside. 

"Mr Wreaths?"

"Please sit down." He replied holding his hand out to show her which chair she should sit in. 

"Sir, I owe you an apology for how I spoke to you on the phone. But Sir, you promised me a story. I've been here a year now, and all I've done is small errands. I want a story that will take up more than ten words on page 30!" Rinoa said feeling annoyed. It was that first time she had spoken her true feelings about her assigned cases so freely. 

"Rinoa, there are other journalists here, not just you." Wreaths replied in voice that didn't show any annoyance, but Rinoa knew that it was only a charade; she knew that all to well. 

"But you have used loads of my ideas! You haven't let me interview anyone, or follow up any of my columns." Rinoa exclaimed. Wreaths sighed and rubbed his temples. 

"Fine, fine Rinoa, I'll give you a story. Hyne! You're the only one in here that ever manages to cause any trouble." He added under his breath as he looked through the papers on his desk. "In three weeks time President Loire is giving a ball of some kind. It's raising money for the new children's hospital. We will need someone to attend and report for the news channel."

"Sir..."

"No listen, I'll send you Rinoa, if you promise to get the job done properly." 

"Sir. Thankyou Sir." 

"No don't thank me, just do the job. At least it will get you off my back for a while." 

"Yes Sir."

"Oh and one more thing Rinoa..." He said changing his tone for one less formal. Rinoa turned back to face him, while standing half in the office and half in the corridor.

"Yes, Sir?" Rinoa asked, acknowledging that she would answer his question. 

"Why do you continue to work? You could retire at any time. Your book made enough for you to travel the world a few times." He said, voicing what he had been wondering about for a while. 

"But if I do that Sir, then what will I do next? I want to make a difference, and I just ask that you treat me like any other person in this building." Rinoa replied. Wreaths nodded and smiled in understanding.

"Yes, I shall treat you like everyone else. If you don't get lost now Rinoa I will fire you. Get some background on the story, or whatever it is that you do and get lost." 

"Yes Sir!" Rinoa said smiling and walking out. Her boss watched her leave before returning to his work on the glaring computer screen. 

Rinoa left the office with more problems than she had entered with. Going back to the palace would be hard, but it was a story, and she needed it. Besides, sitting around and writing small-articles, was doing nothing to improve the fact that she was really bored of doing stupid tasks. 

******

Meanwhile, miles away on a beach on the edge of an Island called Balamb, Squall sat gazing out at the sea with the bright sun hitting his sunglasses.

"Squall when are you going to stop this game and come home?" Asked a voice from the shade of a palm tree. 

"I'm not going home." Squall answered after taking a sip of his fruit mixture cocktail. 

"Look I know this is a novelty, walking around without the press or bodyguards and I can't pretend it isn't fun! But Squall, you are the president's son, you have responsibilities."

"Ellone leave me alone." Squall replied folding his arms. Ellone sighed and walked over to his sun bed. After standing next to it for a while, she sighed when she didn't get any response. Sitting down, she pocked him in the leg. Obviously she had hit a good spot, and increased the pressure to a point that made his leg twitch and move instinctively away from her in a jolt. 

"Come on Squall." 

"No."

Ellone watched him steadily until it made Squall nervous, this usually meant she was thinking of something to do that would hurt him. 

"What?" He asked annoyed. 

"So that's it is it? You're just going to leave the running of Esthar to Me and Quistis then." 

"Stop it Ellone." 

"Stop it? Stop it? How am I going to cope? Laguna's useless, Quistis can't do anything; it's all up to me." Ellone said almost with tears in her eyes. 

"Ellone I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to return yet."

"But you will?"

"....Yes, but...not yet. Every time I'm there I, I just think of her Ell."

Ellone smiled slightly at the thought of how lucky Rinoa was to have someone who was so clearly devoted to her. Squall hadn't been the best person at relationships, but Ellone had always believed that that was because he just needed to find the right girl. Ellone knew that Rinoa was a nice person and would never intentionally hurt Squall, but she couldn't understand why she hadn't left with him on the day he had asked her. This puzzled Ellone greatly, and it seemed that Squall didn't really understand it either. Her devotion to her work was heightened to a point of obsession, where as Squall's commitment to his responsibilities had been dropped completely. She had changed something in him, Ellone could see it. He was almost like what he was before he had left for Garden so many years ago. 

"You think being here, hiding from her, from yourself, will make everything alright?" Ellone asked. Squall sat up and adjusted his sunglasses; his fidgeting movements showed that he wasn't comfortable with the topic of the conversation. Finally he stood up and walked away taking his drink with him. Ellone rolled her eyes and followed him.

"Just leave Ellone." Squall said without looking at her. 

"Squall...there is a ball in 3 weeks. Please be there." Ellone pleaded. 

"What is it with Laguna and parties; he spends his entire life in the ballroom." Squall said trying to keep the sarcasm to himself. 

"Squall you know he can't do anything practical." Ellone answered. "But in any case I have to leave. I have a train to catch." 

Squall nodded but made no reply, and Ellone was aware that nothing had been promised between them. Ellone looked at him for one last time before walking back towards the town. 

Squall sighed and watched her walk away. Finally he could relax and pretend that he was someone else again. Downing the last of the drink without tasting the flavour, Squall walked back to his hotel room, dropping the glass off at a café on his way back to the town. Maybe he would do some more exploring of this tiny port today. 

******

"Oh Irvine!" Selphie screamed as Irvine dropped the shopping all over the floor. His sheepish smile crept over his face and made Selphie laugh breaking her anger. 

"Sorry, the bag handles snapped." Irvine said, dropping to his knees and scrabbling around after the loose vegetables that were rolling along the floor. "Ahh stop the cabbage!" He shouted running down the hill after a runaway speeding cabbage.

"It's only a cabbage." Selphie muttered. Collecting as much as she could into her own bags. Selphie followed Irvine down the road with a mound of shopping. He ran back towards her with the rebel vegetable covered in mud. "Urgh! I'm not eating that." Selphie exclaimed as she spied the mud-covered vegetable.

"Aww poor cabbage...." Irvine said stroking the cabbage like he would a pet cat. Selphie raised an eyebrow. 

"Get rid of it and help me." Selphie ordered. Irvine looked around quickly and threw the cabbage into a nearby hedge and took some shopping off of Selphie. 

"I can't believe you threw it into someone's garden!" Selphie exclaimed shocked, but trying to keep from smiling. Irvine shrugged and walked ahead of her quickly. "Hey Irvine wait up!" Selphie called hurrying after him. 

Selphie sighed as they reached their apartment; things had taken a rapid drop into what Selphie called "crap-ness." Ever since Rinoa had left a year ago, things had become mundane and boring. The office wasn't a laugh anymore; there wasn't anyone to go shopping with, and no one to eat pizza with. Well, except Irvine. Her hand rested on her belly as she stood in the small comfortable apartment. A little bulge showed under her fitted shirt, and Selphie smiled at it with a misty look in her eyes. It had been a day like this one, when she had heard the news. Feeling slightly ill, Selphie had gone to see her doctor and had been told that she was pregnant.

She had left the doctors that day with mixed emotions, but now three months down the line she was preparing her life slowly for the new arrival. Irvine had at first been shocked when Selphie had told him the news, but with some thought, he had decided that it was a "cool" idea. With a little more encouragement he was set to become a dad. Although the thought kind of scared him slightly, it was more a worry of whether he would be a good enough father. 

Baby bottles, and plastic plates with teddy bears on them began to fill cupboards; Selphie was buying everything she could think of to avoid panicking at the last moment. The only person left to know about this happy news was Rinoa, but Selphie wasn't sure how to approach it yet. Maybe she should just turn up in Esthar, or maybe she should phone. But however she told her, it would have to be done soon.

"Irvy are you hungry? I'm gonna make a pizza." Selphie called from the living room. Irvine looked out from the kitchen, his arms still laden with cereals and bread. 

"Sure, Pizza yum." He replied before dropping everything to the floor again. Selphie guessed that his answer had been a 'yes', and as soon as he was out of the way she would start preparing the meal. 


	2. Returning home

**Chapter 2 **

**Disclaimer:** There are lyrics used in this chapter that are not mine, they belong to Bon Jovi. I've written them from memory, so they may not be completely correct. Once again, I don't own anything… 

Returning home 

            Squall looked at the train timetable in his hand with a thoughtful expression. The final whistle for the train sounded and brought him back to reality with a jolt, hurrying him onto the passenger car. Without letting himself think about what he was doing, Squall left the platform. 

            Once on board, Squall headed towards the first class compartments automatically, until he realised what he was doing and doubled back. Sitting down on one of the wooden chairs, Squall picked up a newspaper from the table by the window. Flicking through quickly, he caught sight of something that he found interesting. It was a column written by Reporter Heartilly. 

            **The Children's hospital on South Road Brambly has expressed their joy at receiving a check for 400,000 gil from the fundraising event held at the Presidential Palace. Dr Hibrey, who is head of a large team of surgeons and doctors, said that "The money came as a surprise; we knew there was an event being held, but we had no idea that we were going to receive such a large sum."**

**            The money that was given so generously will be put to good use in the next few months. "We have recently built a new special burn unit which will be up and running in a few short weeks. The money will be used to buy new equipment and training of staff. On behalf of all of us here at the hospital, we give our most heartfelt thanks to President Loire for his kindness."**

            Squall placed the newspaper down and stared out of the window. The little picture under the article showed Rinoa with a bunch of happy smiling children climbing all over her, a group of doctors and nurses beside her. Squall folded it over until he couldn't see it anymore and placed it back onto the table. Closing his eyes, he waited what seemed like forever for the train to stop and slow into the station. 

            Ellone waited on the platform with a guard either side of her. As the train pulled into the station, a rush of air rippled her skirt and sent a chill up and across her body. 

            "Are you ok, Miss?"

            "Yes, thank you, Gibs," Ellone replied while rubbing her arms with her hands in an attempt to warm them. "Where are you Squall?" She muttered through slightly chattering teeth. 

            The first class passengers were ushered off of the train first and led into the more expensive and eye-friendly part of the station. Eventually, Squall was allowed to leave the train with the rest of the passengers. He stepped off with a reluctant step but with silent relief. Three hours sat in one position wasn't an enjoyable experience. He certainly wasn't sorry for all the times he had been able to ride in the first class carriages.

            Immediately he spotted Ellone standing on the platform with her bodyguards. Squall sighed, bodyguards again. He really was home now. Ellone smiled as Squall walked towards her. Raising her hand, she waved in a happy, careless way. As soon as the gesture was made, one of the bodyguards rushed towards Squall and grabbed his bag away from him. Squall felt the bag being wrenched from his hand. 

            "I wish, Sir, that you had let me collect you from Balamb. Your father would have gone crazy if something had happened to you." 

            "Thank you, Gibs, but I can ride the train on my own. Besides, I might have to get used to it," Squall replied as he neared Ellone. 

            "I'm glad you are back Squall. I missed you," Ellone said after hugging him. Squall's eyes looked over to the parked car waiting for them and his expression changed. "I suppose you want to get going right away," Ellone said, observing Squall's silent expression. Squall nodded, not meeting her gaze. 

            "Yes, it's probably best." Squall said, leading the way to the car. The bodyguards looked around feverously, searching faces for nervous movements within the crowd. Satisfied that there was no danger, Gibs let Squall walk towards the car and accompanied Ellone into the back seat. 

Squall sat down in the front and stared out at the passing scenery. 

            "Oh, Squall. Galbadia's 10 o'clock news has been in touch. They want coverage on the ball tomorrow night; I thought I might give them rights to it," Ellone stated as she stared at the back of Squall's head. Feeling her eyes on him, Squall pulled a black woollen hat out of his pocket and pulled it on his head. 

            "Why you telling me then?" Squall answered, folding his arms over his black shirt clad chest. His beige-coloured trousers made a swishing noise as he turned to face the window. 

            "I just thought you might've wanted to know," Ellone muttered, now staring at his hat.

Squall strode into the palace with confident familiarity. The beautiful decorations of hand- painted walls and tapestries of a thousand years old, which had stunned so many a visitor didn't even batter an eyelid of this impatient young man. So used to the luxury was he that he no longer saw it. 

            Ellone watched him walk into the elevator before moving to follow. 

            "Father has been asking everyday when you would return. He never wanted you to leave, Squall." 

            This statement sent a flash of memory through Squall as he stared a hole in the elevator wall.

**(Flashback)**

            "Squall, you cannot be serious!" 

            The exclamation vibrated around Laguna's office and bounced off of the walls in a surprised echo. It was as if the walls hadn't expected such an outburst and had acted slowly in response. 

            "I am resigning; I will look for someone to take my place as soon as I can," Squall said, adding his quieter tones to the room. 

            Squall could still remember the look on his father's face when he had declared his resolve of leaving--the look of utter despair and lost hope. 

            "But Squall…you can't leave!" Laguna had pleaded but with the knowledge that anything he said would be useless.

            "I am going, and I make no plans to return." This statement had put the final seal on Laguna's disappointment. He had nodded with a slow head and unbelieving ears. 

            "This is all because of her, isn't it?" 

            At this Squall had risen and walked to the window to try and calm his growing temper. He didn't like the accusations that Rinoa might be controlling his life, although he knew that she was playing a big role in everything he did. 

            "No."

            "Squall, you think by throwing away everything you have, all the responsibilities you are bound to, will impress her?" Laguna had said, showing the side of himself that was truly worth listening to. "The people of this city, the ones that depend so wholly on you, the ones that Rinoa fights so hard to tell the truth to... Do you think they will look up to you now? When you turn your back on them, will they still love you? Will she still love you?"

            "Shut up! It was her wish. It's what she wanted." 

            "No, I don't believe that. Rinoa would of too high a regard of your duty to the people to demand such an abandonment of responsibility." 

**(End Flashback)**

            The refection on time stopped here; in an abrupt few seconds he had seen an hour of pain condensed into a few short flashes. The question that Ellone was burning to ask burst into Squall's ears without knocking.

            "Squall, are you home for good now?" Ellone asked nervously, knowing that the answer wasn't going to be anything she wanted to hear. But to calm her wandering thoughts, she had to ask. 

            "I don't know," Squall replied offhandedly. He couldn't give her an answer because he honestly didn't know. 

            Laguna sat at his desk reading files and listening to soft classical music. It was odd to see him doing work; it just didn't seem right somehow. Squall looked around the door like a child might look into somewhere they shouldn't.

            "Hey, working hard?"

            Laguna looked up. He had recognized that voice and sarcastic tone.       

            "Squall! You're home!" He said, smiling from behind his desk. 

            Squall was surprised when he made no move to get up or hug him. Feeling somewhat disappointed, yet finding it hard to say why, Squall swallowed his disappointment and sat down opposite to him. 

            "So this ball of yours…it was a welcome home thing, wasn't it?" Squall said, watching for any changes in expression.

            "You knew and you still came?" Laguna asked, surprised. Yes, it had been a sort of trick to get Squall back, but he never thought it would have worked.  

            "I figured it out 10 minuets before I got here," Squall answered. 

            "You're getting slow," Laguna remarked through a smile. 

            "I wasn't really thinking clearly on it. Plus, it was too late to turn back."   

            "The press will be there, you know…" Laguna said, pretending that he wasn't interested in what reaction this would produce. Surprisingly, Squall didn't seem to care; either that or he was very good at not changing his expression in the slightest. 

            "I know." 

            "She will be there, Squall." Laguna continued, seeing how far he could push this before it produced a violent result. 

            "I know."

            "Of course you knew! You wouldn't have come otherwise!"

            Squall opened his mouth to retort an answer, but was cut off by the opening of the door and the entrance of Quistis. 

            "Welcome home, Sir." Quistis said, not realizing what she has just interrupted. 

            "Hello," Squall replied. Laguna rolled his eyes. Here they go again, back to the wonderful world of Squall's minimal speech. 

          Rinoa twirled around in her dress, the one that had been bought and never worn. The dress had been found in her room after a very long, hard day at work. Rinoa had returned one evening to find the beautiful thing lying on her bed along with a dozen red roses. A note had accompanied it, lying gracefully at its' side, and there was no doubt who it was from. 

            The note had read...

**           An angel smile is what you sell,**

**You promise me Heaven and put me through Hell.**

**            Chains of love got a hold on me**

**Love is a prison; you can't break free.**

            Rinoa had frowned at the words but then had smiled. It was Squall's attempt at something romantic she had supposed. 

            A mask of pearls and diamonds lay on her dresser. Reaching out a hand, Rinoa wrapped her fingers around the slim silver pole that could be held to place the mask on the face. The pole could be unscrewed and removed. Two dainty clips would then fasten onto her hair and keep it in place over her face. 

            The mask covered her forehead and the hairline. Little white feathers stuck out from the top with little diamonds crested along the middles of them. The eyes were to look out from two almond shaped holes rimmed with the tiniest blue stones. The mask finished by covering the bridge of the nose and the tops of the cheeks. The mouth was left exposed. 

            This had been a gift from her mother, who had used to tell her tales of balls and parties where numerous beautiful people would place masks on their faces and dance into the night. 

            Rinoa wasn't sure how much of the stories had been made up to satisfy her hungry childhood ears. Most of it sounded like dreams to her now, and her mother was just a mere memory. But something reawakened the fairytale ballroom of her mothers' tales when the mask had been held. 

           Rinoa was hoping that she would be allowed to take her camera crew inside. That way, when she had finished her report, she could sneak off into the crowds and pretend that she was one of them. As long she kept her mask on, no one would recognise her.  

           The light blue of the old-fashioned gown reflected the strong electric lights with an eerie glow. Rinoa felt that she wasn't doing the dress justice; it should be seen in romantic candlelight, the way it was always intended to. 

            Sighing at the thought of putting the dress away, Rinoa undid the many tight laces on the bodice and lifted it over her head. The puffed skirt was taken off in two pieces. First, the blue silk top skirt was unclipped and removed, leaving only the frilled petticoats underneath. Rinoa stepped out of these and pulled her dressing gown over her shoulders, tying it around her middle. Her feet found her slippers and she placed her dress on a chair. 

            Tomorrow she would be able to truly wear it.

Beta Reader: Bianka-chan here. Any mistakes in this chapter are 100% my fault! Now that was a good chapter, wasn't it? All reviews are greatly appreciated!

A/N: Well you all know what is going to happen next, and if you don't, then I'm not gonna tell you. 

**Thankyou to everyone that reviewed!**

**mary, Keiry, Menchi-Pie, cookiedough, Lulu, Amber Tinted, Cherry6124, Verdannii de la Rosa, nuaro, liliangel, The Ever Smiling, AngelPrinczess29, icedragon6171, Griever Leonhart, The Angel of the Lion, Kayo, melissagurl, The Notorious Naurwen, Lionheart, trekken46, Subzero-Strike, Moshi Moshi Mai, Phoenix Blade, Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart, Paperback Rider, Billie the Wild Angel, Sunday, Archangel_666, summoner-fantasy-bearz. **

**Special thanks to Bianka-chan for beta-reading for me. Hopefully there won't be any of my usual mistakes all over the place. **


	3. The Masquerade Ball

**A/N:** just to let you know, the story plot takes some time to emerge from everything else so please hang fire! At the moment the characters are having a rare easy time. But I'm pretty evil, so it won't last. Thank you everyone for reading the last chapter!!

**The Masquerade Ball **

Squall stood in his dark blue suit facing the dancers with a look of utter boredom on his face. He never could find the beauty that some people claimed was there in watching another person dance. As far as he was concerned, he had only ever seen beauty in the face of one being, hiding in the eyes of one woman. And yet, there was a calming element that the dancers produced in him, something of a memory of when he had first seen her standing in amongst those that she knew but couldn't talk to. How vulnerable she had looked that night. Nervously glancing around in a dress that she was not used to wearing and blushing whenever he looked at her. But that night would never come again, and it was best now just to see it as a memory. 

But tonight the tables had turned; she had a purpose of being here, and he did not. How odd in his mind to refer to himself here as the guest rather than a host, and that she was here for a reason other than to stand around and look pretty.  

His father was dancing again with the same woman he had been with all night, and Squall decided it was probably best to leave him alone. This woman Squall had met a few months back, Gloria she was called, was a nice lady who seemed to understand his silence rather than take offense at it. 

Since she had come into the picture, Laguna had calmed his over enthusiastic behaviour and opted for a more peaceful yet still playful way of conduct. Squall was thankful for this at least. It made it possible for him to have somewhat of a conversation with his father without it being too ridiculous.     

Taking a drink from a waitress passing by him, Squall leaned on a wall and watched his Sister and her friends as one by one they were asked to dance. Squall scanned the man who was leading Ellone to the dance floor with a frown, but he didn't place his hands too low on her back, so Squall left him alone.   

Camera crews were beginning to appear now, and Squall wondered if any of them would be Rinoa's. What a long way she had gone since he had seen her last. The hard working, but nothing out of the ordinary journalist, who had happened to get lucky with an assignment that created a mass interest. He wondered if she saw it that way or was glorified in her eyes. But it didn't matter; she had made her choice and Squall scolded himself because he could not. 

He wanted her back; he knew he did. But if Rinoa placed her duty over her heart, then Squall would just have to do the same, and this new resolution was what had finally brought him home. 

            He could see her now; she had appeared out of the crowd like a vision, sweeping out from all the other camera crews with an air of efficiency and ease. As she walked, her dress swirled around her, making Squall smirk. Her back was to him now, and he could see the little red light on her camera blinking. The large microphone hung over her as she spoke live to her sponsor channel. Squall knew that if he was to leave and turn on his TV to the correct station, he would be able to hear what she was saying. But he didn't want to leave; he might lose her in the crowds, or-even worse-she might leave. 

            He could tell she was smiling even though her back was turned--probably laughing in that sweet tone at something the news reader had said. Her back moved in a light flicker as she talked, and it made the memory of her laughter echo in his mind.  

            Squall drank the last of his wine and placed his mask over his face to hide himself in the gathering numbers of guests.     

**(Live)**

            "**And now we go to our special reporter Rinoa Heartilly who is currently at the Presidential Palace. Hello, Rinoa."**

            **"Good evening, Richard,"** Rinoa replied into the camera, her ear-piece speaking to her with slightly fuzzy words. 

             **"Can you tell us what is happening right now?"**

**            "Well, as you can see, behind me here the guests** have already arrived, and the party is in full swing. The theme tonight is of a masquerade ball--a custom that was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries where the dancers cover their faces with decorated masks and pretend to be whoever they wish for how ever long the night lasts. It is nice to see such a custom relived." 

            **"And, on the whole, has this been a successful turn out, do you think?" **

            **"A lot of politicians and important leaders have been invited here tonight, and I have passed a lot on the way inside. I have yet to see the hosts of this party, but have been assured that President Loire is somewhere among the dancers,"** Rinoa said, trying her best to answer all of the questions the best she could. Although she did feel that she didn't really know alot to tell them. If only Ellone would appear, then she could ask her some questions. But she was nowhere to be seen.   

            **"Thank you, Rinoa."**

            Rinoa sighed as her camera man gave her the 'thumbs up' and switched off the camera. 

            "Well done," commented the man with the microphone. Rinoa smiled and let herself relax. 

            After slotting a tape into their camera, the camera-crew followed her as she looked around almost blindly.   

            Rinoa walked further into the ballroom, her mask placed firmly on her face and the camera crew jostling behind her. The report was over, but she still had to sneak off to hide amongst everyone else. 

            "Ok, film for awhile--a couple of minutes only--then get the tapes back to editing for tomorrow's news," Rinoa said, facing her crew and whispering hurriedly. 

            "But don't you want us to film you?" 

            "No, don't film me. This is supposed to look professional; I can't be seen standing around with everyone else," Rinoa said, backing away from them. 

            Both she and the camera men had stuck up a deal in the days previous to the ball. She would get them inside so they could have exclusive shots of the party as long as they didn't tell her superiors that she had stayed. 

            Rinoa made sure that the cameras left before she walked about freely. So many of the other women had unmasked already and were standing around in groups or dancing. Rinoa frowned behind her mask and walked towards the bar. Resting her back against a wall, Rinoa scanned the room for someone that she knew. Yes, there was Ellone and her group of friends, including Zell, talking rather heatedly about something on the other side of the room. Rinoa considered joining them for a moment until she remembered that she wasn't supposed to be here. 

            A waitress walked past with a tray and offered her a glass of pink champagne. Rinoa took it gratefully and sipped the top gingerly. 

            "You know it tastes better with strawberries, right?" 

            Rinoa turned the face her addresser, but froze when she saw who it was. 

            "S...Squall?" She stuttered, almost dropping her glass. Squall smiled; he knew she would recognize him through the mask. He would have been disappointed if she hadn't. 

            "You don't need a mask, Rinoa. You have nothing to hide," Squall stated, reaching for the clasp in Rinoa's hair. Rinoa blushed and stepped out of his reach. Squall frowned. "What's wrong?"

            "I fear that you must hate me after all I did to you," Rinoa said, looking down at the ground as she spoke. 

            "You're here now. What does the past matter?" Squall asked, moving around her and holding his hand out. "Want to dance?" 

            Rinoa lifted her gaze to see his offered hand and waiting eyes. Slowly, she placed her hand in his and let herself be led to the dance floor. 

            "So, did you find it?" Squall asked as they took their place in the line of dancers. Rinoa looked at him confusedly, but her expression was hidden behind her mask. 

            "Find what?" She asked as they began their dance. The partners walked towards one another, taking hands and exchanging places. Squall smiled; he liked to ask his questions in riddles and answer in short phrases. 

            "What you were looking for," he answered, spinning her away from him and into the hands of someone else. 

            Rinoa smiled at her new dance partner, but the smile was fake. Her mind was contemplating her answer until it dominated everything. Squall took her hand once more and pulled her close before spinning her away then drawing her in.

            "You mean my job, don't you?" Rinoa asked, becoming defensive but not understanding why. Squall smirked. 

            "Job," He repeated, laughing. "Yes, your job. Did it give you what you were looking for?" 

            Rinoa felt her blood turn cold. All this had been a trick. The confusing conversation at the beginning, the dancing--it had all been a trick to fill her with ease and then snatch it away again. He was mocking her--the way he talked of her job with so little care, and the questions he was asking. This game had to end soon. 

            "Yes," Rinoa lied. "Everything." 

            "How nice. Then why are you here?" Squall asked, knowing the answer. She was still looking for something, and he flattered himself that maybe it was him, although she would never admit it. Rinoa had been caught; she didn't have an answer to his question, at least not one that would satisfy him. 

            "You already think you know the answer. Why should I make you right or wrong?" 

            Squall laughed almost cruelly, letting go of her arms he walked off of the dance floor and headed towards the open French windows. Rinoa followed him almost without thinking and stepped out in the cool night air. 

            "You are wearing the dress I sent you," Squall observed, looking at her in that piercing way. Rinoa dropped her eyes again then smiled. 

            "Aww, did you grow out of it?" She asked, smiling sweetly. Squall smiled despite himself and held his arm out for her to take. 

            "So, the job gives you everything does it?" 

            "You know, I would not have come if I'd known you'd be here," Rinoa said, trying her best to keep on top of this game he was playing.

            "Yes, you would have. Your job gives you everything, remember? Why would it matter if you saw me or not?" 

            "Stop saying that. It doesn't give me everything; it was you who did that," Rinoa said, mumbling the last line. 

Squall opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it and kept quiet. 

"I left all of this for you, Rinoa, all of it, and yet I couldn't stay away. But just say the words Rinoa and I will leave it all again for you," Squall said, looking into her eyes, the only thing not altered by the mask. Rinoa undid the clasps and let the mask fall back in to her hands. 

"It was wrong of me to ask that of you, if indeed I did ask. But, Squall, I can't leave my work; I have a duty, just as you have a duty. You found how hard it was to turn your back on that duty, how it hurt, and how you felt empty without it. Squall, as much as I love you, I don't think I am ready to be anything other than what I am," Rinoa said, feeling the little stinging of tears in the back of her eyes and watched helplessly as one slid down her cheek.     

            "I'm not asking you to change," Squall said confused. 

            "But I would. Maybe not straight away, but I would," Rinoa replied. 

            "Is your job really so important to you that you will sacrifice everything for it?" Squall asked.

            Rinoa looked at the floor once more; she didn't know what to say to him. Every time she had to explain herself to him it ripped more pieces from her heart. Squall used this silence to remove his mask from his face. The black mask was discarded on the stone floor and Squall waited for Rinoa to look up at him.

            "Why do you always ask me this? I've answered it enough times; I am not going to change my mind, Squall, no matter how much you think I am wrong," Rinoa said, determined.    

            "I promise I shall not ask you again," Squall said, watching as her resolve in her face fell away and the tears trickled down her cheeks. 

            "I'm sorry," Rinoa whispered. 

            Squall said nothing but took her hand and pulled her out of the light of the ballroom and walked her towards the fountain in the centre of the garden. The music floated over to them on the light breeze and made Rinoa smile. 

            "This is my mother's song," Rinoa commented. "She used to sing it to me many years ago now." 

            Rinoa hummed the first line and dipped her hand into the cold water of the fountain. The small fishes scattered at the ripples in the water and swam to the safety of the centre. The marble Nymph in the middle smiled at them as she poured her water from a jug in her arms. Rinoa stared at her face, it as her mother. 

            "Julia Heartilly," Squall whispered into her ear. Rinoa lost her sense of awareness and leaned into Squall for support. 

            "Why is she here? You have a secret to tell me." 

            "No secret, just a story. Your mother was a singer, the most beautiful singer in the entire world. Laguna fell in love with her as so many men did, but this was different for she loved him in return. But they would never be given their right to love one another as Laguna was called away the night they confessed their love and never returned. Your mother waited but it was all in vain. Laguna could never return to her. So she married a man that loved her dearly and left her music to be your mother," Squall said, wrapping his arms around Rinoa from behind and looked at the water as she was doing. 

            "Why didn't your father return?" Rinoa asked after a long pause. Squall shrugged. 

            "I never asked, but I suppose he met my mother. But I learned, Rinoa, is that we never forget our first loves, only sometimes you have to leave them behind."

            Rinoa felt the last tear in her eyes roll down her check and then nothing. She couldn't cry anymore, and she couldn't think either. Questions kept appearing in her head and she forced herself to keep them inside. The most obvious question came forward first.

            "Why didn't I see her when I was here last?" Rinoa asked still speechlessly. The story Squall had told her she had never heard before. 

            "Even marble needs cleaning from time to time. They took her away for the time you were here."

            "You talk about her as if she was alive," Rinoa whispered, tears shining in her eyes once again.

            "Don't you think she is?" 

            "Yes, I can see. She laughs behind those blank eyes." Rinoa replied, closing her eyes as Squall kissed her neck. "Don't Squall."

            "Why not?"

            "Because you make my resolve weaken."

            "Your resolve?"

            "Yes."

            "Rinoa, don't you see? Their love has been given a second chance, through us!" Squall said, spinning her around to look in her eyes. "Look at me, Rinoa." He said, shaking her. Rinoa looked at him with worried eyes. "Do you love me, Rinoa?"

            "Yes. Of course I do," Rinoa replied truthfully, looking straight into his eyes as she spoke, although it was uncomfortable to do so. 

            "Then give me this night at least. We were meant to be together--surely you can see that," Squall said, watching as she fought her heart against her mind. "Just listen to your heart for once, Rinoa." 

            "Alright, I shall stay until midnight but no longer," Rinoa said, enjoying how happy it made Squall look. He laughed warmly and lifted her off the floor to spin her round. Rinoa joined in his laughter, forgetting herself and all her worries. 

            "Come and dance with me once more," Squall demanded with a smile. Rinoa was tempted to take his hand but shook her head instead. 

            "Not without my mask," Rinoa replied sternly. 

            "Alright. Then dance with me here." Squall said, not giving up. 

            "Here?" Rinoa questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

            Squall didn't reply to her question but waited for the next movement of the music and placed one hand on her back and the other out to the side for her to hold. Rinoa closed the gap between them, much to Squall's surprise, and smiled up at him. 

            They moved slowly to the music, looking into each other's eyes. Rinoa could feel everything she had tried to suppress surface back into her heart. All the passion she had felt flooded her until she couldn't breathe from its pressure. She looked at Squall but everything was hazy. All she could concentrate on was her heart beating in her chest. 

            Squall dipped her backwards roughly and pulled her back towards him in one fast movement. Rinoa let her head come back up slowly and met with his lips at the last instant. That one second was all Rinoa needed to know that she had lost control over this; she couldn't even tell him to stop if she had wanted to. She kissed him back with a hunger she didn't know she owned. The moment seemed to last forever--every second being as contagious as the first, and every thought melting away until it was only them left in the world. 

            The hours slipped by as fast as the seconds ticked past, and although they had talked and danced, time seemed to be against them as there was so much more to say. It was as Rinoa was leaving that Squall made her promise to meet him the week after. She consented without question and left in her taxi without another word spoken between them. 


	4. Remembrance of the night

**Chapter 4**

Remembrance of the night 

            The television set shone its tiny pictures at Rinoa with pride, but the images made her cringe. They were a source of shame to her tired eyes. The video player groaned as its rewind button was hit for the eighteenth time, and clicked as it was made to play the cassette once more. 

Last nights' ballroom glittered even on the tape, and the beauty of the room that in her nervousness Rinoa had been blinded to, was magnified tenfold. The report had certainly been worth watching, but not for the reasons Rinoa wanted. Her own words sounded weak and humble with the background of the beautiful room. 

In fact, the report hadn't been done very well at all, and Rinoa felt a deep disappointment within herself. Her mind leading up to the moment of the interview, had been spent on the anticipation of seeing Squall, rather than the wording of her report. 

Now that she sat alone in her apartment kitchen, safe from the world and everyone in it, she was free to gaze at the TV. What she was did not please her, and she scolded herself for the awful report. If her job really was this important, then why wasn't she putting all her time into it instead of thinking about a certain person who she shouldn't be thinking of at all? 

            The alarm clock in her bedroom suddenly sounded, bringing Rinoa back to herself. Sighing, she rose to turn it off. Rinoa had already been up for two hours prior already, due to her mind not being able to calm down and relax. The tiny red numbers blinked 6:00am at her with uncaring eyes as she switched the buzzing off, and set it to sound tomorrow. 

After seeing her tape, Rinoa knew she would be getting an angry call from her boss. On the task she had been sent on--she had certainly failed by ways of her reporting skills--her only hope was that her gaining of pictures inside of the ballroom would be enough to keep her on the pay roll at least. Although it would probably be a long time before they sent her on something that important again. 

            Sighing once more, Rinoa headed back to her kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee before staring at the screen.  

**"Well, as you can see, behind me here the guests have already arrived, and the party is in full swing. The theme tonight is of a masquerade ball--a custom that was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries where the dancers cover their faces with decorated masks and pretend to be whoever they wish for how ever long the night lasts. It is nice to see such a custom relived." **

"Oh, come on, Rinoa, you could have done better than that!" Rinoa mumbled into her cooling cup of coffee with a disappointed tone. "What were you going for there, Rin? The wonderful plan to charm people with your incredible wit and amazing intelligence, rather than your looks, really went well. Sorry, hunny, but you spectacularly failed." 

            Rinoa scolded herself for a bit longer until she began to calm down. The more she watched the clip, the worst it became. Taking a biscuit out of the tin from its' home in the kitchen cupboard, Rinoa stuffed it into her mouth and sat back down. Her hand moved automatically and hit the rewind button once more.  

            Now with the luxury of time and a coffee in her hand, Rinoa was able to see all the things that she had missed in her confused night. The perfect diamond chandeliers singing at the dancers with their refracted rainbow light looked down on all from their perch up high. As the taped Rinoa smiled at the camera the glittering floor became swamped with dancers, and yet Rinoa looked on in the tiny red light bulb that showed that she was still on air. 

The report that had certainly lacked in the information department, but Rinoa was sure that it made up for its briefness with the stunning pictures. Not that was credit to Rinoa; the pictures were all down to the talented camera crew she had been leant. 

            It would be only a matter of time before she got that call from her boss. Usually it was full of congratulations, but today she feared it would be quite the reverse. The time clicked around to 7:00am surprisingly fast and Rinoa held her breath for the call, which was always at 7am after an important evenings work. That fact that she might be enjoying the morning, by the way of sleeping, was never taken into consideration. 

            As if on queue, the clock hit the top numeral and the phone jumped to life. Rinoa felt her heart skip and she frowned. 

            "The guy is a freak. I bet he sits in his office and watches he clock. Oh, look, it's 7 already. Let's go and annoy Heartilly," Rinoa mumbled to herself as she crossed the room and picked up the receiver from it's holder on the wall. She put on a fake smile and a sweet voice. 

            "Hello?" 

            "Oh, Hyne, you answered! Do you know how long I have been trying to get a response from you?" A familiar voice asked from the other line. Rinoa couldn't describe the relief that hit her. Her smile now grew into one of genuine happiness. 

            "Selphie! I am so sorry I haven't returned your calls. I just...actually, I don't have an excuse. It was rude... Sorry." 

            "Hey, I know what you're like. Don't worry, I'm just glad I caught you before I began wondering if you had died," Selphie replied in a tone so serious that it made Rinoa laugh. 

            "Man, have I missed you," Rinoa said after she stopped giggling; it was a long time since she had laughed without feeling silly for it. 

            "Rinny, you are so behind on the gossip! Oh, by the way, sorry about the earliness of the call, but it's getting late here. Rinny, there is so much to tell you!" Selphie squealed excitedly. Her happiness was clearly shown by the way of her random sentences.   

            "Well? What is so great that you called at 7 in the morning?" Rinoa asked, intrigued. If she wanted information out of Selphie she always had to ask. It was part of Selphie's backup plan. If Rinoa didn't like the news she could always say 'well you asked me to tell you!' 

            "The woman over the road has a new man. Looks like a biker, not a very attractive one, but, hey, it stops her looking at Irvine when he's around. Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that their cat is having an affair with the big fat fluffy one down the road," Selphie said, telling Rinoa the pointless news at though it was the most amazing thing in the world. 

            Rinoa remembered how Selphie had held a marriage ceremony for her cat and the one across the road. Apparently the marriage was always on the rocks according to Selphie's observations. Rinoa wasn't looking forward to the cat divorce, especially after her starring role in the last scene as the cat voices. She could see the divorce taking hours. 

            "Is that it?" Rinoa asked, annoyed. 

            "Hey, you asked me to tell you!" Selphie defended. "Hang on, wait....you know the cat could be gay..." 

            "Right, that is it. I'm hanging up right now," Rinoa said, well aware that the threat was empty. 

            "No, no, wait there is something I wanted to tell you. But I can't over the phone," Selphie said, her voice suddenly sounding very serious. Rinoa stopped smiling at once, fearing it was bad news. 

            "What? What is it? Are you ok? Has something happed?" Rinoa asked, becoming more frantic at every question. She could hear the sigh at the other end and decided to wait for an answer.  

            "Yes, I'm fine. It's good news really, but I have to tell you in person. You will kill me if I don't," Selphie replied. 

            "Aw, now I really wanna know. So, how long do I have to wait to hear it?" Rinoa asked, aware that she couldn't leave Esthar for awhile, so Selphie must be travelling down. 

            "Not long. Me and Irvine are travelling to Esthar in a couple of days. Irvine is looking into this new job at a Chocobo ranch--it's something he's always wanted to do. Plus, I'm thinking of a change of job myself. I'm going to be busy for awhile and won't be able to work for the newspaper anymore," Selphie said, convinced that she had given many clues in the speech. 

            "Did you lose your job? Is that what you need to tell me?" Rinoa asked confused. 

            "Rinny, why the hell would I travel all that way just to tell you that I lost my job? Get real! My job sucks!" Selphie said, regaining some of her usual cheerfulness. Rinoa smiled. 

            "Oh, crap, Selph, I have another call waiting. I'll have to go," Rinoa said, looking at the little red button that was flashing at her. "Call me when you get here, won't you?" Rinoa askedhastily. The other caller was her boss, and he wouldn't be happy about waiting long. 

            "Will do. See ya soon, girl!" 

            Rinoa clicked Selphie off and switched for caller 2. 

            "Hello?" Rinoa asked, slightly more confident after her talk with Selphie. 

            "Miss Heartilly I won't waste your time. You need to stop by my office sometime before midday." The dial tone sounded straight after. 

            Was that it? He must be really mad, saving his ranting for the office. Rinoa considered this with an element of dread. Today wasn't going to be fun. 

            Squall walked into the breakfast room without intending to eat, and sat at the table. Ellone smirked as soon as he appeared in the doorway, and Squall knew she was holding back on something mean to say to him. 

            "I noticed you had fun last night, Squall," Ellone said, eying him over her cup of drinking chocolate. Squall looked up at her without acknowledging anything of embarrassment in his gaze. 

            "Yeah, seems you did too," He remarked, grabbing a croissant and a knife. Ellone's smile disappeared instantly. 

            "He's just a friend," She mumbled, looking at her plate. Squall smirked: one up for him. 

            Surprisingly, Gloria was sat at the table and seemed very interested in what the two siblings were saying to one another. Squall didn't want to think too much on why she was here. There was only one plausible explanation and Squall didn't want to go too deep into that. It was almost certain that she had stayed the night. Well, at least everyone was happy last night then, Squall thought, bringing a smile to his face. Ellone frowned. 

             "Squall, are you and Rin...um...back together?" Ellone asked, aware that this was very touchy subject. She held her breath as Squall considered his answer with a look of pain on his face. 

            "Who knows!" He answered, finally standing up and leaving the room, passing Quistis on the way out. She smiled at him and was content when she didn't get insulted or shouted at in return for her greeting. 

            Laguna had remained silent throughout the morning due to his attention being captured by a small game machine in his hand. There was no sound emitting from the machine as he had plugged in a pair of head phones, and his eyes moved in flickers, deeply entranced by the moving pictures. His hand alternated its tasks by spooning cereal into his mouth and hitting the fire button. 

            "Yeah, round two!" he screamed, forgetting that he was wearing head phones and shouting much too loud. Quistis walked around behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump. He snatched the head phones from his ears and looked up at her. 

            "Sir, there is a call in your office from the headmaster of Galbadia Garden. It apparently is important. I thought you should be made aware, Sir," Quistis informed him. Laguna made the very hard decision of choosing either his game or the phone call. In the end he was aware that Quistis was still waiting for him to give her an order and he pressed the off button. Quistis smiled and watched him leave the room before grabbing a piece of cold toast from the stack. 

            "So," Gloria said, now that she found herself alone with female company. "Who is Rin?" 

            Ellone began to giggle and Quistis raised her eyebrows. 

            "You mean you haven't been told about the famous Rinoa Heartilly?" Quistis asked, almost shocked. Ellone retained her giggles, until it showed on her face that they were beginning to hurt. To help the dryness of her throat, Ellone gulped back a glass of water reducing her to a coughing fit. 

            "Rinoa Heartilly the reporter?" Gloria asked. 

            "Bingo!" Ellone confirmed through her coughing. 

            "It's a long story, but you must be aware of the book that was published not that long ago, about life with the president," Quistis said, pausing for a reply to assure her that Gloria was understanding so far. 

            "Yes. I read the book." 

            "Who hasn't?" Ellone added under her breath. 

            "Well, she and Squall sort of, well you know...got it on," Quistis said, blushing at her own inability to find a better phrase for explaining. She was well conscious that Squall would have killed her for referring to them as 'getting it on'. 

"But they had this argument or something and never got over that. Nobody really knows the particulars--he never told us anything. But judging from last night, it can't have been that bad an argument," Quistis finished, telling what she could remember and what she knew with the simplistic of sentences. There was no need to turn it into a life story. 

            "So, you think they still like one another?" Gloria asked, intrigued. 

            "Either that or they are really, really good at pretending!...You know what I mean! Heh heh," Ellone said, winking and nudging her elbow into Gloria's side with a grin. 

            The door to the breakfast room clicked open and the occupants of the previously giggle-filled room became instantly silent, all eyes fixed on the door. 

Squall walked back in with a briefcase and set it on the table in front of his place. The silence was starting to eat at him now, and he looked up to see all their eyes still on him. 

            "Are you going to eat your briefcase, Squall?" Gloria asked, smiling at his annoyed face. 

            "Squall never eats. He only eats junk food and chocolate bars. He'll buy 20 different chocolate bars, but he won't eat them like you or me: he takes bites out of each and throws them away. See," Ellone said, grabbing a handful of various empty wrappers out of Squall's briefcase. 

            "Hyne, I wish I could eat that much chocolate without getting fat," Quistis said, looking enviously at the wrappers. "Squall can eat burgers, too," She added in a depressed sigh. 

            "If you are all done talking about me," Squall said, handing Ellone a wad of papers. Ellone took it confused. "Plans for the theme park." 

            "So you really are back!" Ellone said excitedly as she looked over the plan. 

            "What?" Squall asked, not really caring about the answer. 

            "You're doing all this work again. These plans wouldn't have been ready for another 2 months without you here," Ellone explained. Squall just nodded, not quite knowing what to say in reply. 

            There was a still silence, until Gloria broke it. 

"So, Squall what you up to today?" Gloria asked, smiling. 

            "Oh you know, everyday stuff. Might have a facial, perhaps get a manicure, drive round and pick up a couple of prostitutes, the same old," Squall replied, straight faced. Gloria looked completely shocked and Squall smiled to himself. "Well, see ya later then." 

            As soon as the door shut behind him Gloria turned to Quistis. 

            "He was just joking, right?" she asked, worried. Quistis laughed. 

            "Yeah, don't worry. You'll get used to it." 

            Of course Squall wasn't about to do all those things; it had just been a distraction so that he wouldn't have to answer. His real goal lay on the other side of Esthar at the construction site of the proposed theme park. The jerk-off who had been over seeing the planning permission had been slacking due to no one to force threats upon him. Squall hoped the news of his return hadn't leaked this far yet, and the asshole might have a nasty shock when Squall appeared in his portable office.                   

            Meanwhile, as Squall was heading towards one office, Rinoa was making her way up the stairs to meet her unimpressed boss. 

            Rinoa walked into her boss's office to be instantly shouted at. She had been right in her assumption that he had been saving his anger until this moment. 

            "Rinoa, what the hell is this?" he screamed. Rinoa swore that the surrounding sounds on the editing floor just became quieter to listen. 

            "Sorry, Sir?" Rinoa asked. It was better to know exactly what he was mad about before she started defending herself. 

            "This!" He said, flinging a tape onto the table. "I understand you had only limited time to report, but, Heartilly, it sucked. No interviews, no personal comments! This only scraped through because of the shots the camera crew were able to get." 

            "Sir, it was I that managed to get us inside," Rinoa said, annoyed. Didn't that count for anything? 

            "Well, you should have used it." 

            Rinoa was about to argue back, but something told her not to. What good would it do her? She already knew he was right. Better just admit defeat and accept whatever the punishment was. 

            "I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't do a very good job," Rinoa said, feeling her eyes sting with tears as she looked at her feet. Her answer had been forced out with as little emotion as she could manage. If she left her tears swell, she knew she would be unable to answer. 

            "No, you did not. What happened to you, Heartilly? You used to be the best we had, but your work lately has really dipped in quality. Maybe...maybe you should take a break." her boss suggested, his voice sounding calmer after Rinoa had stopped arguing back. 

            Rinoa snapped her head up. A break? No, she couldn't go on a break. 

            "What? No, I can't. You send me on a break and in a matter of weeks I am forgotten. I'll be back at the bottom of the pile once more. I've seen it happen," Rinoa said, walking up to the desk and resting her hands on the edge for support. 

            "Rinoa, that is exactly where you are heading: the bottom of the pile, if you don't pull your act together!"  

            "Sir..." 

            "No, listen. I've seen many a promising career go down the shoot over my time and I see yours heading in the same direction. Your heart is just not in this anymore, Heartilly. You lost your heart in one of your stories, so why are you still here?" 

            "I...I don't know, Sir," Rinoa said, flopping down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, all her fight had been drained from her. 

            "I am placing you on suspension until I reinstate you," Her boss said, standing up and taking a folder off of a stack on the shelf. Rinoa nodded miserably. "Before you take this rest you can do one last task for me. As you will know, the building of the theme park is to begin soon--at least it is scheduled to. I am going to send you out there this afternoon to do some straight reporting. Type it up at home and send it in within the week." 

            "Yes, Sir." Rinoa said, standing up and walking toward the door.       

            "Rinoa, wait," her boss called after her. Rinoa turned to face him from the doorway. "I don't want to be the one always giving the bad news and grief, but I believe it's for the best. You are so much better that this," he said, holding up the video cassette. 

            "Thank you, Sir," Rinoa said quietly, hoping that that was the reply he was looking for. He nodded and she left. 

            Rinoa wandered down the stairs rather than using the elevator. She didn't think she deserved the luxury of the elevator today. Her mood had gone from scared to angry, from angry to disappointed, and from disappointed to depressed. All she felt like doing now was sitting down and crying. 

After taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Rinoa headed for the exit.

Her car stood in its usual parking place, and she unlocked it before climbing in. A sudden thought hit her: maybe a break from her job wouldn't be so bad, and she'd be getting paid for doing nothing. But this thought seemed ungrateful to all the office had done for her, and she dismissed it as quickly as she could. Jamming a CD into the player, Rinoa started the engine and tried to relax. Little did she know that at her destination she would be meeting up once again with Squall.         

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay of this chapter, after getting back from one holiday I hardly had time to breath before we all jumped on a plane and headed off somewhere else…So don't worry am still alive! (I can tell you were worried, don't try and pretend you weren't!) I was just having a damn good time...hehe. But I'm home to raining England now :( So there should be more regular updates, because I won't be venturing out into that rain!!

Thank you readers!!

Verdannii de la Rosa

The Angel of The Lion

Wynter

The Notorious Naurwen

Keiry

The Ever Smiling

Billie The Wild Angel

Kupo

Trekken46

LiLAwAiIgR|

Kail Angelfire

Subzero-Strike

Lady Yevon

Mariko

Archangel_666 (Yes people from the North do have a different accent to the South. But, each county speaks differently to the one next to it. If you travel up to the next county and start talking, they will be asking, "Where the hell do you come from?" Anybody else from England will know what I'm talking about, especially if you have been picked on for your accent before!)

Lionhart

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

Angelwingedprincess

CLOud

TheLaguna

Heyhey

Squinoafan


	5. Snappy Shacks Bowling

            Chapter 5 – Snappy Shacks Bowling

Rinoa drove her car from the smooth black tarmac roads of Esthar City onto the dusty dirt tracks of the surrounding wastelands. Her wheels hit many numerous amounts of stones and the car shuddered in complaint at the abuse being afflicting to its tires.

            The site that had been chosen stood some miles out from the city, and was, so far, a huge flat land of dust and sand. Out of the hazy horizon, Rinoa could make out tiny little black dots that were definite signs that life was up ahead. 

            The black dots soon turned into shapes as she neared them, and one in particular looked very familiar. 

            A red sports car was parked at an odd angle across two makeshift car parking spaces and gleamed brightly in the sun. Rinoa pulled up next to it, parking with a little more care than the sports car owner. A tumbledown building stood in front of her, and Rinoa was certain that it couldn't be all that safe. Looking at the smaller buildings around the precarious structure, Rinoa was positive that this was probably the main office. Taking a deep breath, she set off towards it with a notebook in her hand. 

            Squall sat facing the grubby-looking man behind the desk; his patience was clearly growing thin. Not only had this man not gotten any of the plans and deals ready that Ellone had discussed with him, he hadn't even begun to employ workers yet. The beginning of their meeting that had begun in politeness was likely to end without. 

            "Ahh! Mr. Leonhart, Sir. What an honour!"

            "Good afternoon, Mr. Pryer."

            "Err, um, how can I help you?"

            Twenty minutes later, Squall was no further in his inquires. Raising a hand, Squall rubbed his eyes in a tired fashion. It was turning out to be a long day. 

Rinoa climbed smartly up the steps and knocked on the door. Squall rolled his eyes as the visitor gave his new enemy an excuse to escape his questions and focus on something else for a while. 

            "Come on in," Pryer called, much to Squall's annoyance. Frowning, Squall turned to stare at the door, daring it to open. 

Hearing permission to enter, Rinoa turned the handle and pushed the door slowly open. 

            "Good afternoon, I am Rinoa Heartilly of Galbadia papers. I'm here to interview you about the progress of the theme park," Rinoa said, clutching her notepad close to her chest as she spoke. 

            "Oh, good, that makes two of us then. But I must warn you, Rin, there isn't much to report." 

            Rinoa jumped, startled at the sound of the voice from behind her. She searched the darkness immediately with her sun-blinded eyes.    

            "What are you doing here?" Rinoa asked instinctively. She wasn't aware that it sounded rude until it left her lips and she saw Squall's face flicker from a smirk to blank. 

            "Well, who said journalists don't have manners?" Squall commented, making Rinoa flush. 

            "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting...um, do you mind if I sit in on this?" Rinoa mumbled, trying her best to look Squall in the eye. 

            "No, of course not. You won't mind, will you, Mr. Pryer?" Squall asked, smiling a new false smile. 

            Pryer shook his head in silence. Rinoa looked from Pryer to Squall and then back again before sitting down, aware of the strong tension in the room. 

"Now then," Squall said, enjoying the attention on his words. "Mr. Pryer has been working on this project for almost 2 months and he has successfully done fuck-all. But, he has been paid a very high wage for his incredibly amazing efforts," Squall concluded, looking directly at Pryer to cause the maximum amount of discomfort, while directing his words at Rinoa. 

Rinoa realized that she had just stumbled onto a battleground. It was clear that there had been heated words before she had turned up, and Squall had now gained the upper hand. It was also apparent that Mr. Pryer wasn't quite sure how to act around the new arrival in his office. Rinoa felt completely uncomfortable in this situation, aware that she wasn't supposed to be hearing any of this.   

            Squall handed Rinoa a wad of papers, each page scribbled over with his own photocopied handwriting. 

            "That copy is for you," he said as Rinoa reached over to take it.

            "Can this be published?" Rinoa asked, surprised.

            "The rides and smaller details may be changed as time grows nearer; everything else is the final plan. Please make sure you mention that," Squall said, still looking at Pryer who was looking redder and redder every moment. 

            "Did you photocopy the entire thing for me?" Rinoa asked before her mind made up the answer 'yes' for her. Squall looked around at her for the first time since the start of the odd conversation.   

            "Aww, wouldn't that have been sweet of me," Squall said, smiling and turning away from her when he saw her blush. "No, I didn't think you would be on this story. It seems a little lowly for famous journalist Heartilly."

            Rinoa blushed even harder.

            "Yeah well, about that..." Rinoa began. 

            "You can explain later," Squall said, stopping Rinoa mid sentence. "We mustn't let Mr. Pryer think we have forgotten about him," he said, smiling wickedly at Pryer, who mopped his forehead with a faded handkerchief. 

            Rinoa looked at Squall with a new thought forming in her head. Sitting there in his dark pinstriped suit, shiny shoes and a scowl, Rinoa thought Squall could have passed as a mob boss from the old mafia films. A dreamy smile started forming on her face before she could banish it away.

            "Yes, ok," Rinoa said, pulling the lid from her pen and opening a new page in her note book. 

            "Now, Mr. Pryer, you have been given ample time to come up with a workforce that will be able to start, if not finish, this project. Why has this not been done? Please explain," Squall said, peering at the flustered man over locked fingers. 

            "Well...err, Sir, there have been a few complications," Mr. Pryer tried to explain. 

            "The only complications have been your own incompetence," Squall snapped, making Rinoa flinch. 

            "Sir, I didn't receive the plans until a week ago." 

            "And you couldn't do anything before that? The area needed to be cleared; we gave you the plot dimensions the day you were hired." 

            "Sir..."

            "How would you solve this?" Squall asked Rinoa abruptly. 

            Rinoa jumped; she hadn't been expected to be addressed. After her initial shock, Rinoa remained silent and considered. From the look on Squall's face, he was determined to get an answer. Rinoa tried to put herself in Pryer's shoes. Her boss today hadn't given up on her, so why should they give up on this man? Surely this man hadn't really intended to delay progress. But, at the same time, he had not done what he'd been paid to.

            "I think..." Rinoa said slowly, "that you should let Mr. Pryer oversee the clearing of the area, and if that is done satisfactory, maybe then think about renewing his contract," Rinoa said. Her answer didn't seem too silly to her ears and she smiled into the solemn room.           

            "Always the diplomat," Squall said affectionately. "You are lucky, Mr. Pryer, that Miss Heartilly has more patience than I have. You will be employed temporarily, with a pay cut, until the area is cleared. We will discuss your contract after that. You have one month to clear the plot. Good day, Mr. Pryer."    

Rinoa was glad to get out of that office; her day seemed to be plagued with surprises. Squall was looking at her oddly, but for the first time Rinoa wasn't taking much notice. Her whole concentration was on the file Squall had given her. 

            "Monster Monster Land? Splash Bog? Squall, what the hell?" Rinoa asked, confused. 

            "It's the name of the lands in the theme park. It should be pretty _easy_ to work out what themes they are," Squall answered, still looking at her.

            "Hey Squall," Rinoa said, looking up suddenly. "Why didn't _you _oversee the workers?"

            "Believe it or not, Rinoa, I more important things to do," Squall said, unlocking his car. 

            "Like what?" Rinoa asked, before she could stop herself. Squall turned to face her as he opened the passenger side to his car. 

            "Like taking a certain young lady out to dinner. Are you busy?" 

            Rinoa stared at him for a second. 

            "Squall, I'm on suspension until further notice. I'm not going to be busy for a long time." Rinoa blurted without knowing why she chose that moment to tell him. Squall's expression was clearly one of unreadable shock. But to Rinoa's surprise, he started smiling in crazed way. 

            "Suspension?"        

            "Stop it, Squall," Rinoa warned, trying to rid her smile before she started laughing.

            "So...you coming with me or not?" Squall asked with mock impatience. 

            "But what about my car?" Rinoa asked as she climbed in. Squall shrugged. 

            "Oh, I dunno. I guess I'll have to torch it and dump it in a river," he replied as he slammed the door on Rinoa's shocked face. "I'll get someone to pick it up." Rinoa rolled her eyes. 

            "So, where are we going?" Rinoa asked as she watched the built-up city swallow them up once more from her window. "Some swanky restaurant where there are tons of movie stars?" Rinoa asked, looking at Squall's unrevealing face. 

            "Sorry, not today, Rin. If I have to eat anymore of that crap on sticks and wafer biscuits I'm gonna be ill," Squall said, smiling at her intrigued face.    

            The bright lights and traffic started to thin everywhere Rinoa looked. They were heading somewhere she had never seen Squall go before. Soon they were on dirt tracks once more and were bouncing off of dips and bumps in the road at an unwise speed. Every time Rinoa had complained, Squall swerved for the next largest pothole and upped his speed until Rinoa gave up. Eventually Squall started to slow down and a small, wooden-looking town appeared in front of them. 

            "What is this place?" Rinoa asked, looking around. 

            "It's where all the farmers live. See these fields..." Squall said, pointing. "They're potatoes. Anyway, they have the best bowling alley in the world," Squall said, driving carefully past some children playing games in the road. Rinoa found that last statement hard to believe as she looked at the ramshackle housing.  

            "Why is it all falling apart?" Rinoa asked, looking around.

            "It isn't part of the city. We just buy from them. Don't look at me like that, Rinoa. We've done all they will let us do to help them; they just prefer to look after themselves. Besides, their children grow up in the open air; ours are locked into rooms with machines. Who has the better life?" 

            Rinoa thought there was a touch of resentfulness in Squall's voice, as if he'd have given everything as a child just to run in those fields and play in the road. But the reference he had made on 'our children' had made Rinoa blush so that her thoughts were best kept to herself.

            "Hey, here we are," Squall said, parking outside of a large wooden building. 

            "Snappy Shacks Bowling?" Rinoa read with one eyebrow raised. Squall smiled at her and jumped out. "Thought we were getting something to eat?"

            "We are: they do great burgers here," Squall replied as he started walking towards the entrance. Rinoa sighed and undid her seatbelt. Would he ever stop being so unpredictable? 

            "Hey, Squall!" shouted a rowdy group of young children who were standing at the bowling entrance with their pushbikes leaned up against the wall. 

"You here to lose against us again?" one asked.      

            "Nope, not today, I'm here to lose against someone else instead," Squall said, mentioning behind him. The children peered around him to see Rinoa slamming the car door shut. 

            The children laughed and scattered about the street. Squall watched them run off and waited for Rinoa to catch up.

            "Hey, you know who would really love this?" Rinoa asked as she finally became level with him. 

            "No, who?" Squall asked, taking her hand and whispering in her ear. Rinoa lost her answer instantly. 

            "Um...my friend Selphie. She's coming to Esthar soon!" Rinoa said loudly, trying to rid herself of the funny feeling in her stomach. 

            "Rinoa, do you know why I brought you out here?" 

            "Err, no," Rinoa answered, worried. 

            "Well, we're not in Esthar anymore, are we?" Squall asked, pulling Rinoa closer to him. Rinoa tried desperately to look anywhere but his eyes. 

            "Erm..."

            "So, we'll be alone here," Squall said, smirking in a mischievous way. Rinoa smiled, catching onto what Squall was thinking. "So, what do you think?"

            "About what?" Rinoa asked, confused by the many topics Squall was talking about all at once.

            "About going bowling?"

            "You know, Squall, I've never done this before!" Rinoa complained as she was dragged into the building with a worried expression. 

            Two hours later, Rinoa found herself sat at a restaurant table waiting for their burgers. Squall had spent the best part of ten minutes taking to the barman, rather than ordering the drinks. Rinoa sighed and gazed out of the window. Who would have known that you could have so some much fun in this tiny little town. 

            Squall had won all of the games, not surprisingly to Rinoa, since most of her balls fell off the side and travelled down the gutter, despite the crash course lessons from Squall as to how to bowl. However, she had managed to get a few strikes and she certainly didn't do anything to conceal how happy she was about that fact.    

            Rinoa found herself lost in her thoughts and hardly noticed that Squall had returned to the table. 

            "Here you go, one diet coke," Squall said, handing Rinoa the drink. 

            "Thanks." 

            "So, what were you saying about being suspended?" Squall asked, taking a sip of his drink. 

            "Err, yes, suspended. Apparently my report on the ball was really crap, so I'm suspended until further notice," Rinoa said simply, averting her eyes from his questioning gaze.

            "Rin, I know this means a lot to you. You don't need to pretend it doesn't," Squall said sitting back in his chair and observing her. "Perhaps coming here was a mistake. Shall we go home?" 

            "Home?" Rinoa questioned quietly.

            "Back to the palace," Squall answered, standing up as if Rinoa had already agreed to leave. Rinoa smiled slightly and stood up also, nodding her head slowly.

            "Yes, home," Rinoa said, speaking the words with satisfaction. 

A/N: I know this story seems to be just been slinking around on the sidelines of my story plot, but I swear this has all been planned!! But in case you're wondering what is going on, the plot will be emerging soon. But since this is only the 5th chapter, if something was to happen now...this would be a really short story. I mean really, really short.  

As always, thank you readers and reviewers!!

Subzero-Strike

RiNoA LeoNhEaRtiLLy

Grasshopper2

Omnitoad

Angelprinczess29

Archangel_6 6 6

Angelwingedprincess

Keiry

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

The Notorious Naurwen

Billie The Wild Angel (That speaker box was soo funny! Lol)

Seifer's Incarnate 

Bianka-chan 

Lady Yevon

Angel of the lions


	6. Squall discovers

Chapter 6 -- Squall Discovers 

            Rinoa watched as the palace came into view ahead of them. Squall had been very quiet throughout the journey back, and Rinoa wondered whether she had done something to upset him. But before she could voice her question, he was already slowing the car. Rinoa saw her own vehicle parked on the gravel drive outside of the large garage, and wondered how Squall had managed that little feat of magic; she hadn't seen him make any calls. 

            "How did my car get there?" Rinoa asked. Squall suppressed a smile.

            "While you were looking over the score sheets, I arranged for someone to collect it," Squall said as he turned off the engine and got out into a mass of awaiting servants. After sending them all away, Squall walked around to Rinoa's side of the car and opened the door for her. 

            "Oh, um, thank you," Rinoa said, blushing. She normally didn't let Squall do that, but she'd been distracted for a moment and hadn't been able to stop him. 

            "Well, I guess we better see what my, oh-so-sensible father is up to. The place is still standing at least," Squall said, making Rinoa roll her eyes. 

            "Anybody would think you didn't like him," Rinoa said sarcastically. Squall smirked. 

            "Well, that certainly would be an understatement," Squall replied, smiling to show he wasn't being serious. Rinoa sighed; she should have known he'd have some sort of comeback. Sarcasm was always Squall's favourite game.    

            It had been a long time since she'd been invited into Squall's home like this, and wasn't quiet sure how she would be welcomed. It had been alright at the ball; everyone was busy and hadn't seemed to notice her, at least if they did, they hadn't shown it. But today she would have to talk to them. She dreaded answering the questions about her and Squall. 

***

            Laguna was in his meeting room, which consisted of a large table and a machine that projected pictures up on the wall. His talk seemed to be in full swing as Squall and Rinoa entered, and instantly Rinoa felt the heat rise up into her cheeks as it all went silent. 

            "I apologise, Sir. I've interrupted your meeting," Squall said, not looking at all sorry. Rinoa glanced at all the men sat around the table. She was aware of many pairs of eyes on her face and other various parts of her body. 

            "Not at all; it was almost over anyway," Laguna said, smiling at Rinoa in a friendly way. Rinoa couldn't help but smile back, although standing there she felt anything but happy. "Anyway, thank you gentlemen for your time. I shall escort you to the door," he said as the men stood and started shaking hands with one another and heading for the exit. As Laguna followed them, he quietly mentioned for Squall to remain there and wait for him. 

            Squall raised an eyebrow as his father left. What had all that been about?  

            As they waited, Squall suddenly started to become nervous. At first he couldn't understand why. He'd been with Rinoa nearly all day, but not once had he stopped to consider how he felt about seeing her again. Now that they were alone, Squall couldn't stop looking at her. Slowly he took her hand in his and, sitting down, pulled her down to sit on his lap.

            "Squall!" Rinoa said, surprised. 

            "It's the first time we've been alone today," Squall said, looking at her intensely. Rinoa blushed at her own weakness. 

            "We won't be along for long," she replied, her voice sounding slightly husky. "Your father will be back in a minute." 

            Rinoa was sure that if you could curse with facial expression, Squall had just done it. 

            "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to hang on until later." 

            Rinoa knew that he was only joking, but the frightening thing was that, she wasn't sure she'd able to 'hang on' as he phrased it. Something told her that she just wanted to kiss him now and not stop. But from the look on Squall's face, it seemed he had the same idea as well. 

            Leaning forward, Squall managed to graze Rinoa's bottom lip with his own before the door handle clicked. Suddenly, as if she'd been stung, Rinoa leapt away, and started walking towards the window before Laguna ambled in. She turned and smiled at him as if nothing had happened. 

            "It's nice to see you again Rinoa," he said, looking rather nervous. 

            "Thank you," Rinoa replied, blushing under Squall's heavy stare. 

            "Erm, Squall, I...err, need to talk to you," Laguna said after a short silence.

            "Yeah, whatever," Squall said, still not looking away from Rinoa. This time his eyes had found her eyes. 

            "In...in private," Laguna said, now looking really uncomfortable. Squall tore his eyes away from Rinoa reluctantly. 

            "Ok," he said, standing up. Rinoa smiled at him weakly. This little chat was obviously going to be about her. 

            Squall was determined to be difficult. If this was about him and Rinoa, Laguna wasn't going to get any answers. 

Laguna lead Squall into a large sitting room. 

            "Squall, I have some news," Laguna said as soon as they were both seated. Squall looked puzzled; clearly his father was dreading telling him it whatever it was.

            "Ok," Squall said, slightly worried at what was about to follow; it didn't appear that the news was good.

            "Well, erm, I'll just come out and say it... You see...um...well...." 

            "While we're still alive, preferably," Squall said, not making Laguna any less confident. The fact was that Laguna usually didn't get this nervous when telling Squall something bad. Squall found it kind of unnerving; damn, the man was even making him feel jumpy. 

            "Me and Gloria, we, err, we're getting married." 

            "WHAT?" Squall shouted, jumping up.

********

            Rinoa watched the two men walk out of the room and sat down on the chair she and Squall had just previously been occupying. It was certain that she wasn't wanted here. Even now that she thought back, Laguna's smile had seemed a little forced. 

            The door handle clicked once more and she found herself looking straight at Ellone. 

            "I thought I saw you and Squall come in," she said, stepping into the room. Rinoa smiled nervously. She wasn't sure what Ellone wanted, maybe she'd come to tell Rinoa to stop playing her brother, or something. 

            "Yes. He...took me bowling," Rinoa said, looking at her hands and refusing to look back up. 

            "Oh," Ellone said, taking a seat next to Rinoa. "I missed you. I don't have any real friends around here, and I had no one to gossip my news to," she said smiling uncertainly. 

            "What sort of news?" Rinoa asked, careful not to sound too nosey. 

            "Since the ball, I've, um, been seeing Zell," she replied, blushing. Rinoa laughed, more for the sake that Ellone wasn't mad at her than anything else. Ellone frowned. "You think it's funny?" she asked, almost upset. Rinoa stopped smiling immediately. 

            "No, of course I don't," Rinoa said, reaching for Ellone's hand. "I think it's great news!" Rinoa added honestly. Ellone smiled. 

            "The only thing is, I don't know how to tell Squall. I mean, Hyne knows he gonna get a shock today," Ellone mumbled. Rinoa was about to ask what she had meant, but she was suddenly distracted by the shouting down the hall. 

            "What the?" Rinoa exclaimed following Ellone out of the room. 

*********

            "What do you mean married? You've only known her, what, a couple of months!" Squall said, looking at Laguna with pure horror written all over his face. 

            "Squall, just because I haven't paraded her around in front of you, does not mean I haven't..."Laguna began, but was cut short.

            "Oh, Hyne, I just don't wanna know," Squall said, feeling sick. Laguna frowned and watched Squall pace the room; he'd known this wasn't going to be easy.   

            Just as Squall was about to speak again, Ellone and Rinoa burst into the room. 

            "What's happening? Has one of you died?" Ellone asked, walking to the centre of the room as Rinoa hovered by the door. Her tone changed slightly to a sarcastic one as she added, "I hope it's Squall." 

            Squall looked at her, lost for words at the comment. But it quickly turned to anger. He bet Ellone had been told the news first, and was probably all in favour of them becoming one happy family. Squall scowled and headed towards Rinoa with a forcefulness that almost made her afraid; he grabbed her hand savagely and pulled her out of the room. 

            "Ouch, Squall, what are you doing?" Rinoa gasped as he pulled her along towards his room. Rinoa's eyes widened as she was pushed inside and ended up on the floor. Squall slammed the door behind them and walked out on the balcony. 

            Rinoa rubbed her wrist. Squall was obviously angry at something, and she sincerely hoped she wasn't going to be on the receiving end of this anger. But from her long career of studying Squall, she was certain that everything he did had a motive, and if he'd brought her up here, then he must have wanted to speak to her.    

            After pulling herself up from where she'd fallen, Rinoa carefully walked out onto the balcony. She was determined not to be the one who started the conversation. Squall had a lot on his mind, and it was bound to come out sooner or later in the form of a snide remark or comment. However, she was surprised. 

            "Sorry." 

            "Hum, what?" Rinoa asked, feeling embarrassed that she hadn't been listening. Squall turned to look at her. 

            "I'm sorry for making you fall. I sometimes forget that you're smaller than me." 

            Rinoa smirked, maybe this was the time to lighten the mood. 

            "Well, it's a good job I'm not a guy, or you would have gotten a punch in the face for that comment," Rinoa said, wondering how long it would take Squall to work out that she hadn't been talking about height. He smiled. One second. Not bad, although she wasn't sure that it was something to be proud of. 

            "I've got some news."

            "Oh, not you and all!" Rinoa exclaimed before she could stop herself. Squall looked at her sharply.

            "What do you mean?" he asked.

            "Oh, um nothing, you carry on."

            "My father's getting married," he stated. 

            "Oh, that's great!" Rinoa said happily. But from the look on Squall's face, he certainly wasn't seeing it that way. "Err, isn't it? I mean, err...your dad deserves to have someone...right?" Rinoa trailed off, worried. 

            "I guess," Squall said quietly. Rinoa nearly fell over in shock. Maybe she was getting good at this calming people down thing. "It's just that so many things have been happening lately, and this sort of came as the last straw," Squall admitted. Rinoa remained silent. Was Squall actually talking about himself for once? 

            "Carry on," Rinoa prompted softy as Squall looked as though he was clamming up once again. 

            "No, it's ok."

            "Squall, if you can't tell me, then who else is there?" Rinoa said, knowing fully well that there were many people that would sit and listen to him if he let them.

            "It's just that I feel I'm the only one holding this country together. You saw what happened when I went away. I wasn't even away that long, and it all started falling apart! Laguna tries, but he's really just there to address the public. It's me who's always running around making back-ally treaties with everyone. And yet no one notices and it...it just pisses me off, ok?" Squall said, feeling stupid for blurting everything out without any warning. Rinoa smiled at him reassuringly.  

            "You know the credit never really goes to anybody who does the hard work. Back when I was just reporting, my work was always being stolen and rewritten with somebody else's name on it, and it still hasn't stopped. Do you know who got paid for that interview I did the other night? My boss, that's who. I get a top story and he gets the money, Oh, sure I get a bonus, but that doesn't account for the fact someone else got the credit," Rinoa said, hoping she was making some sense to Squall. He looked interested at least, which was one thing. Maybe it was because they'd never really talked like this before. "Ok, I guess it wasn't really that great a report..."

            "I thought it was good," Squall said, looking at her in a way Rinoa couldn't define. 

            "But you were at the ball, so how did you see it?" Rinoa asked, confused. 

            "I videoed it." 

            "But it was live, so how did you know it was on?" 

            "Did you think it was just by chance that we kept meeting up in absurd places?" Squall asked ,feeling somewhat happier by the thought of making annoyed, however wrong that might actually be. 

            "I haven't thought... You mean you've been following me?" Rinoa said, intrigued rather than annoyed.

            "Well, in a way. I've been following your career. I've known exactly where you were doing at your interviews, and where you've been staying, and what you've been doing. In fact, your boss is such a good friend now that we even played pool one night." 

            "Squall!" Rinoa said, walking away from him aghast, but for some strange reason afterwards she laughed. "I know I should be angry, but I just don't feel like being annoyed right now. So watch your back Squall, because I'll get you when you least expect it!"   

            "Oh, no, I'm scared," Squall said sarcastically. 

            Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him from lack of better things to do. Squall smirked. 

            "Do that again," he ordered. 

            "No!" Rinoa screamed as Squall tried to grab her. Screaming again, Rinoa ran into the bedroom and accidentally-on-purpose fell on the bed. "Oh dear, look where I landed!" Rinoa said, raising an eyebrow and waggling it to make Squall smile. 

            "You're in a very dangerous position there, Miss Heartilly," Squall warned walking towards her. 

            "Oh, please don't be gentle!" Rinoa said, placing one hand on her forehead in a typical heroine pose.    

            Rinoa moved her legs over so that Squall could sit down next to her, but he caught them and held her fast on the bed. Rinoa tried to moved but found herself to be immobilized.  

            "Hey, what sort of a game is this? You're not playing fair!" Rinoa said, pouting in a childish way. Squall smiled. 

            "Well, you did say 'don't be gentle'." 

            Rinoa closed her eyes, sure that Squall was about to kiss her, but was brought back to the room when a beeping noise started to come from her bag. Squall groaned and let go of her.

            "What the hell is that?" He asked, not bothering to hide the fact that he was annoyed. Rinoa blushed.

            "It's my phone," she admitted, struggling off the bed and towards her bag on the floor. Quickly she pressed the answer button and held it to her ear. "Hello?.........Oh my god, Selphie! Is that you?"     

            Squall felt like smacking himself on the head and knocking himself unconscious. There was no way he was sitting through and female phone conversation.

            "I'm gonna get something to eat. I'll be in the kitchen," he said looking at the clock. 7pm. Hopefully this phone call wouldn't last more than 3 hours. 

            Rinoa just looked at him vacantly, her concentration on the person on the other end of the phone. Squall rolled his eyes and walked out. 

            "Yeah, ok!" Rinoa called after him. 

            Halfway down the hall he bumped into Ellone. 

            "Aww, Squallie kicked out of his room?" she said in a patronizing voice. Squall threw her an evil look. 

            "Shut up."

            "Hey Squall, where you going?" Ellone said, following him down the stairs. 

            "I'm going to get something to eat, or is that against the law now?" Squall said, feeling angry, but not really sure why. Nothing that happened today had been Ellone's fault. 

            "Well, I dunno, you wrote them," Ellone said, walking beside him. 

            "What?" Squall asked, embarrassed. For one second he's been in a world of his own. Ellone frowned. 

            "You rewrote the laws, remember! But anyway, you know it ain't that bad that dad is getting married, is it?" 

            "Drop it, Ellone," Squall warned. 

            "But Gloria is nice. You know she is," Ellone reasoned as they continued walking. 

            "It isn't that, ok? Just leave me alone," Squall hissed. 

            "Oh, I see."

            "See what?" Squall asked, worried.

            "You're broody."

            "I'm what?"

            "Broody. You don't want to see dad get married, because secretly you want to marry Rinoa." Ellone said, looking smug. Squall looked somewhat surprised. "Listen, Squall, if you wanna be with her so much, why don't you just ask the damn question and get it over with."

            "You think I haven't asked her already?" Squall said, never remembering when he'd ever felt more annoyed. This totally came as a shock to Ellone. "Do you think I flew that helicopter all the way to Galbadia just to say 'hey, how ya doin', babe?'"

            "She...she refused?" Ellone whispered, looking ill. 

            "Rinoa is too busy playing with her job," Squall said scornfully. "But that's just the bad side of falling for a career girl."

            "Oh, Squall."

            "Look, stop pestering me and do something else," Squall said, walking into the kitchen. 

            "Fine," Ellone called through the door. "But hands off my chocolate ice-cream!" 

            Squall smirked and headed straight for the ice-cream. 

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed last time! I'd thank you all personally, but my brother is threatening me with death if I don't get off the computer.

Thanx for reading, and don't forget to review!!   


	7. Rinoa's crazy night

**Chapter 7 – Rinoa's crazy night**

****

_            A/N: (Important!) Bianka I couldn't get this chapter through to you. I don't know whether my e-mail isn't working, or it's something else, but whatever it was it wouldn't work. *Cries* I want my beta!!!_

_            So everyone, please don't be too mean to me, I was alone without my beta for this chapter.  _

            "Selphie! Oh Hyne how are you?" Rinoa squealed into her phone. 

            "I'm fine Rin. Me and Irvine have just pulled into Esthar station." Selphie said, her voice sounding muffled by all the background noise. Obviously the station was very busy this evening. 

            "Selphie why didn't you tell me you be arriving now? I would have come down and met you!" Rinoa protested. She would have loved to have seen her friend arrive in the station, and was disappointed to have missed it.  

            "I know, but I didn't want to bother you. What with your great job and all! Oh I can't wait to see your office! Is it all shiny and gold and stuff?" Selphie spat out forgetting that to get an answer, she needed to pause and let Rinoa speak, finally she ran out of things to say and silenced. Rinoa took the opportunity to inform her friend of the truth. 

            "It isn't that great Selph." Rinoa mumbled. 

            "Oh I bet it is." Selphie said confidently. "Do ya wanna speak to Irvy? He's just getting the luggage now since I can't carry it." Selphie babbled. 

            "What do you mean you can't carry it? Did you hurt yourself?" Rinoa asked urgently. 

            "Nah, anyway here he is...." Selphie said her voice trailing off. 

            "Hey hot stuff! ...Ouch Selphie sweetie, don't hit me! I was only saying hello to our friend." Selphie's mumbling could be heard faintly in the background. 

            "Hi Irvine. So are you going to tell me what this mystery visit is all about?" Rinoa asked playfully. 

            "No, and this isn't a visit. We're moving here. Obviously not today because we still have to sell the flat, but you get the idea." Irvine replied vaguely. 

            "Erm, no, not really. Listen we have to meet up, all this is much too confusing." Rinoa complained. 

            "Urgh arranging a lunch date! You can talk to Selphie, I'm outta here." The phone was abruptly passed over, and Selphie was heard once again on the other line. 

            "Tomorrow we can meet up at that restaurant you took us to last time, say 12 o'clock lunch time. We'll meet you outside and we can go in together!" Selphie said, taking over the situation immediately. Any plans Rinoa previously might have had were instantly cancelled, friendship took priority right now.  

            "Sure, that sounds great." Rinoa said smiling. 

            "Oh, ahh! Sorry Rin but I gotta run, we've got tons of stuff to do before tomorrow, I'll see you soon." 

            "Yeah, alright. Ok bye then." Rinoa said feeling disappointed.

            "Bye!"

            Rinoa hung up the phone with a saddened click. She didn't like to be left out on what was happening with her best friend, even though Selphie had told her it was good news. After putting her phone away, Rinoa decided to go and look for Squall. Vaguely she remembered him saying something about eating, although he had completely lost her attention at that point. 

            The corridor outside of Squall's room was deserted and Rinoa had an instant lonely feeling as she stepped outside, she wondered how Squall could live here anyway, it reminded her too much like a hotel than a home. Casting her mind back to when she had been staying here, Rinoa tried to remember the way to the kitchen. After making herself confused, she thought it best to ask the elevator operator. 

            "Good evening Miss. Going down?" He asked happily as she stepped in. 

            "Yes I think so. I'm trying to find the kitchen." Rinoa replied as he closed the doors. 

            "Ah yes you'll need to go down. Take the left corridor and then the first left door. It's a short-cut." He said smiling. Rinoa nodded and thanked him as she stepped out. "Remember, first left." He called after her. 

            Rinoa walked across the glittering entrance hallway and into the more humble looking left corridor. She hadn't been down here before, and she wondered if she'd been misdirected. But sure enough, on the left there finally appeared a door, and she gingerly pushed it open. A view of the kitchen appeared before her and she walked in. 

            "Squall, are you in here?" Rinoa called shakily, her voice sounding weak and feeble as it bounced off of the white shining walls. 

            "He's in the breakfast room dear." Replied a light voice from inside. Feeling more confident, Rinoa looked around for the owner of the voice. "That's just through there." 

            Rinoa found herself looking at a cheerful woman making some sort of elaborate sandwich on the kitchen counter. She smiled brightly and held out her slender arm for Rinoa to shake her hand. 

            "My name is Gloria." She said, her earrings bouncing as she shook Rinoa's hand with enthusiasm. 

            "Rinoa." Rinoa said feeling a smile creeping up on her face. 

            "Would you like a sandwich? I can make you anything you like." Gloria offered. 

            "Oh, um, I'll make one myself; I don't want to trouble you." Rinoa said finding herself strangely comfortable in this woman's company. Gloria's blonde head nodded in response and she pointed to the fridge. 

            "You don't have to have a sandwich; if there is anything you want in there, then just help yourself. But I'm afraid Squall's already stolen the ice-cream."

            Rinoa wandered to the fridge and pulled the door open, she gasped when she saw the content. There was so much food that it made the supermarket look under-stocked.

            "Wow!" Rinoa whispered as she stared at a strawberry trifle. 

            "Hey that looks good. Bring it out here and we can have some." Gloria said looking over Rinoa's shoulder. Rinoa reached carefully for the trifle and brought it out. In the light of the room it looked even bigger than it had seconds ago. "The spoons are in that drawer." Gloria said pointing. 

            Rinoa collected two spoons from the drawer and handed one over. 

            "So err, congratulations for um, you and Laguna." Rinoa said feeling embarrassed, that sentence wasn't very smooth sounding. However Gloria smiled. 

            "Thank you. Shame I wasn't here earlier, I could have been in your book." 

            "Well, maybe I'll write a sequel." Rinoa said as she shovelled a large spoonful of cream and jelly into her mouth. "This is good." She mumbled through swallowing.  

            It wasn't long before most of the sweet was devoured and the two women were talking rather enthusiastically. The giggles and jokes must have carried through to the other room, as shortly Squall appeared in the doorway that joined onto the breakfast room. 

            "Having fun?" He asked casually. 

            Rinoa stopped laughing instantly and wiped her mouth automatically, she didn't need him seeing her with trifle all over her face. 

            "Squall you can't have honestly finished that ice-cream!" Gloria said looking astonished. Squall looked down at the empty pot in his hands. 

            "Yeah. Well, contrary to some beliefs I do actually eat things sometimes you know." He replied looking rather annoyed. 

            "You call ice-cream food?"

            "Well at least it's not trifle!" Squall shot back. Gloria blushed. 

            "Ok, you caught me. That was your fault Rinoa, letting me see the trifle; I'm supposed to be on a diet!" Gloria protested flicking her spoon into the sink. Rinoa smiled.     

            "But you don't need to diet!" She said before she could stop herself. 

            "Aww, isn't she sweet!" Gloria remarked fondly to Squall. Squall didn't reply, instead he threw his empty ice-cream carton into the bin. "Oh gosh the time! Your father will be wondering what happened to his sandwich!" She said gathering the sandwich onto a plate and balancing it with the other random objects she deemed necessary to carry with her. Squall dreaded to think what was in the sandwich that needed both salad cream and ketchup. "It was nice to meet you Rinoa." She called as she elbowed the door open and walked out. 

            "She is so nice!" Rinoa said as she put the trifle back in the fridge. "But I really need to go too, if I'm gonna get back to my apartment before they lock the doors." 

            "You don't need to leave." Squall said as she closed the door to the fridge. She looked at him shyly. 

            "Well...If it's no trouble." She said blushing. Squall shook his head. 

            "No trouble. Hey I want to show you something." 

            "What?" Rinoa asked as Squall held the door open for her. "What is it?" She asked again as she followed Squall along a unfamiliar hallway. Rinoa instantly lost her bearings; this place was too much like a maze for her. 

            "Do you like swimming?" Squall asked looking at her wickedly. Rinoa folded her arms over her chest annoyed. 

            "Yes, but I don't see what..."

            "Good." Squall said cutting her off. "Lets go then." 

            "What!" Rinoa screamed through laughing as Squall pulled her through an elaborate gold door. "You have swimming pool! Is there anything you don't have?" Rinoa asked as she walked in the room and dipped her hand into the cold clear water. Squall stared at her back and she walked away from him, in his mind her debated question. 

            _Yeah, I don't have you._

            "No, you can pretty much find everything in this house." Squall replied. "So you wanna swim?" 

            "Squall I'm hardly dressed for..." Rinoa protested. Squall held up his hand for silence. 

            "Me and Ell keep our swimming stuff over here." He said walking towards something Rinoa had mistaken for part of the wall. It was a cupboard cleverly painted to blend, but was surprisingly deep. "I'm sure Ell's stuff will fit you, and if it dosen't, you can always go skinny dipping." 

            "Yeah, that'll happen." Rinoa replied burying her smile into the towels beside her. Squall shrugged and grabbed a pair of dark blue trunks and walked away to the changing rooms on the other side of the pool.

            Rinoa took a handful of swimming costumes and headed towards the door next to where Squall had disappeared to. After shedding her clothes, Rinoa found herself standing in a bright red swimming costume. 

            "Hey boys, can you say Baywatch?" Rinoa said striking a pose in the mirror. "Ha I don't think so." She decided taking it off and opting instead for a baby pink bikini. "Now that's more like it!" 

            Squall was sat on the edge of the pool opposite to where Rinoa walked out from, he smiled when he saw her. 

            "Yeah, I knew this was a good idea." He mumbled as Rinoa gracefully slid into the water. 

            "You are coming in right?" She asked after submerging herself and brushing her hair out of her face.

            "Sure am." Squall confirmed pushing himself in. Rinoa laughed as Squall swam underwater and tried to grab her ankles. Suddenly she stopped. Squall resurfaced after he sensed something was wrong. "What?"

            "Did you hear that?" Rinoa whispered. Squall shook his head as Rinoa hung onto him and looked around. 

            "What was it?" Squall asked worried. 

            "Laughter. And no it wasn't me." Rinoa replied. "Someone is outside." 

            "Well you know other people do live here too." Squall said sarcastically. Rinoa shook her head firmly. 

            "No. It was the laughter that no one was supposed to hear, if you know what I mean." Rinoa said.  

            "Oh Rinoa you naughty girl!" Squall said smiling. Rinoa hit him on the arm. 

            "Shh, there it is again." Rinoa said placing her finger on her lip in sign of silence. 

            "Hey, that's my sister!" Squall said looking shocked. Rinoa bit her lip, maybe this wasn't quite the way Ellone was planning on telling Squall about her new boyfriend. 

            "Maybe we should go." Rinoa said trying to pull away.

            "No." Squall said sharply. 

            "But..." 

            Just as Rinoa was about to protest again, Ellone and Zell appeared through the glass doors that lead out onto the garden. It was blatantly obvious what they were doing, as they continued to do it as soon as stepped into the room. 

            "Why is he kissing my sister?" Squall hissed trying to swim closer. Rinoa held him back. 

            "No." This one syllable word carried towards the couple and made them start. Ellone looked around and blushed. 

            "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know you were there." She said looking at her feet. Zell looked extremely worried. "We where just going to go swimming." 

            "Yeah." Zell confirmed. 

            Squall opened his mouth to speak but was instantly distracted. The door in which both Squall and Rinoa had entered through was suddenly bashed open, and Laguna ran into the room looking excited. He was wearing a pair of brightly coloured trunks with a yellow and blue fish pattern, and seemed completely oblivious to the others in the room. 

            "DIVEBOMB!" He shouted jumping into the pool. Rinoa screeched as wave of water went over her head. Squall did his best to steady her from going under again and when she saw his worried face she laughed. 

            "It's ok Squall I can swim." 

            "I know, but..."

            "Hey wait for me!" Gloria shouted as she ran into the room and dived in after Laguna. 

            Ellone and Zell took advantage of this distraction, and headed towards the changing rooms before anyone noticed. A moment later they reappeared in their swimwear and jumped in also. A game of water polo was then set up around Squall and Rinoa until they were dragged onto Laguna and Gloria's side to 'beat the champions.'

            "So what did Selphie want?" Squall asked whilst hitting the ball towards the goal. Rinoa cheered as they scored. 

            "Selphie? Oh, yeah Selphie. She and Irvine just arrived at the train station. We're gonna go for lunch tomorrow. Um, did you want to come?" 

            "No thank you, you probably have a lot to discuss with your friends." Squall said feeling disappointed, he would have liked to have had Rinoa to himself for another day. 

            "Yes that is true, but you wouldn't be in the way I promise. I know they would love to see you." Rinoa said wrapping her arms around his neck to avoid being drowned by very crazy Laguna. 

            "Well maybe I could drop in, and say Hi." 

            "That would be wonderful. I'll tell you more about it later, right now we have a game to win." 

            Rinoa and Squall made their way back upstairs about five past midnight. The fast paced day clearly shone in their eyes, as they fought to keep them open.

            "Where am I going to sleep Squall?" Rinoa asked, nearly bumping into a vase due to her sluggish movements. 

            "Anywhere you want." Squall answered. 

            "Don't Squall, I'm serious. Plus I don't have any clothes to wear tomorrow." 

            "Last time you were here you sort of left in a hurry…" He paused here. "You didn't pick up some of your washing, so we put it back in the room you stayed in, so you can stay there tonight. Sorry, I'm being rude. You can stay there if you like."  Squall said rephrasing his words. Rinoa nodded thankful. She could see in his eyes that this wasn't just some way of getting rid of her, he generally was looking tired, and probably needed sleep just as much as she did. 

            "Yes, ok." Rinoa said as they stood outside of her room. "Goodnight then." 

            Quickly she kissed him lightly on the lips and walked into her room fast. She smiled at him as she shut the door, and laughed when the door was shut. 

            "Goodnight." Squall replied to the door, and wandered away in a soft zigzag to his own room. When opening the door he found that Rinoa had left most of her stuff on his floor. Carefully he picked up her bag and reopened his bedroom door. Much to his surprise he found Rinoa stood on the other side of it. 

            "I err, forgot my stuff." She said feeling stupid. 

            "Yes, I noticed." Squall said handing her bag over. 

            "Thanks." She mumbled taking it and turning to leave. 

            "Rinoa. I don't want you to sleep down there." Squall said staring at her back. She turned slowly, her heart hammering. 

            "So, um, what you propose instead?" She asked flirtatiously, looking at him from under long eyelashes. 

            "Stay here with me." 

            Rinoa remained where she was, she could never understand how Squall could be so calm about matters such as these, didn't he get embarrassed?

            "Ok." Rinoa said, surprising herself. Squall pushed the door open wider and let her walk in. Once inside Squall shut the door and pulled a t-shirt from a drawer and handed it to her. 

            "The bathroom is through there." He said pointing. "You can get changed." Rinoa didn't reply, but took the shirt and walked into the bathroom. 

            Squall sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the wall. What had he gotten himself into now? 

Rinoa returned to see Squall already changed into pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt very much like her own, lying almost asleep on his bed. He opened his eyes to look at her when he felt her climb on also. 

            "I'm sorry, I though that would be longer than it is." He said looking at her shirt. 

            "Doesn't matter." Rinoa said pulling the covers over them and then laying down. Squall closed his eyes again and let the dizzy feeling of sleep come over him. He was only vaguely aware of two arms encircling his waist, and Rinoa's head coming to rest on his chest. 

            "Goodnight." Was the last thing he heard, before he fell away into sleep.

 _           AN: Sorry for the long delay in updating, but I've had almost an essay per day to write for the last six weeks. I was so crazy to take both English and English Lit!! _

_            Ps, to anyone who had read 'Othello' isn't Iago cool?!_

_But anyway, thank you reviewers!!_

_The Angel of the Lion—Hey, you were right! College is so much fun! Thank you for the review._

_Rizza426—Omg the hurricane! I hope I didn't do too much damage!_

_Billie the Kid—It's early days yet, don't worry. This time it will end good, I promise!!_

_Seifer's__ Incarnate— Thank you for reviewing me!!_

_Kat-gurl1—Mariko—Chrono-Maku---Thank you, thank you!!_

_Hiasha__—Hey, out of your mind is the best place to be!_

_Omnitoad__--^_^ Thanks for reading!!_

_Archangel_6 6 6—Hey no lemons, this story is remaining pg13!!  Don't worry there won't be any sickening shopping chapters, unless they are necessary. (Because I hate writing them!) Sorry for the briefness about Gloria, hopefully I plugged a few gaps with this chapter, but there is still a way to go yet. Thanx for reading!_

_Leonhart__—I wish I could speak Spanish, it would really help. :)_

_Kool__ Kaizer—I just love it when Squall gets really mad, I just couldn't resist writing it. Don't worry, he'll forgive Laguna soon enough. _

_FFgal__—Thank you for all the reviews! Lol hidden agenda, no Gloria's nice I swear, I couldn't keep track of a villain right now. _

_Melissa—Oh she will *looks around sneakily* she will._

_Eiggem3—I would, although unfortunately I need my brother to buy toys so I can play with them. Our latest toy is a pirate ship, with a working cannon!!! I just never grew up._

_Karla3—lol a cricket.__ Thanks for reading._

_And last but not least, my Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart, she'd mine I tell you, my friend!!!! Woah the lack of food is making me insane!_

_Thank you for reading everyone!! _

_Oh and one last thing before I shut up and go away. Has everyone seen the second Harry Potter film, where he walks across the snow with his owl? I was there!!! I was there in the funky bit with the windows!! I had the scary Snape feeling, he was behind me, I swear he was. _


	8. Selphie's Baby!

           **Chapter 8—Selphie's baby******

"Wow, it was such a good idea to come here, Rin," Selphie said as she knocked over two pins. "Ah, damn it!" she cursed when none of the others fell. 

           "Hey, you know I didn't even know this place existed until Squall took me here the other day. I mean, who would have thought there would be this fantastic bowling alley in the middle of nowhere?" Rinoa said, rolling her ball and watching as it hit over three. 

           The sound of "Strrrrike!" was heard from nearby, and Selphie looked at Irvine in hatred. He had done nothing but get strikes since they got there. Eventually, they had put Irvine in another lane on his own. 

           "But Rinny, I thought you said Squall was coming."

           "Hmm?"  

           "Remember, you called me this morning and said we should go bowling, instead of meeting at the restaurant, and that Squall would be coming too," Selphie said, placing her hands on her hips. Rinoa blushed.

           "Yeah, he was going to. But something came up and he needed to go sort it out. He wouldn't say what it was, but promised he'd meet us here later," Rinoa explained. 

           "Oh," Selphie said, turning her back on her friend. "So, um you guys…together again?" she asked, turning her head to look over her shoulder and smiling sweetly. 

           "I don't think I should answer any of your questions, seeing as you won't even tell me this great secret. I mean come on, Selph, I'm dying to know," Rinoa begged. Selphie sighed. 

           "Fine. Irvy's finished his game anyway. Let's forfeit ours and get some lunch. Then when we're seated, I'll tell you," Selphie said, placing her bowling ball back on the rack and cancelling the game. 

           "Selphie, I've been waiting ages for this news. It better be good," Rinoa warned, smiling.

           "It is, I promise. Now put that damn ball down and let's eat!" Selphie ordered, grabbing Rinoa's hand and pulling her away from the lanes. On the way towards the restaurant she took hold of Irvine too and pulled them both to a table. "Here, we will sit here," Selphie decided, letting go of their wrists.

           "Ouch, Selphie honey…what's the matter?" Irvine complained, rubbing his wrist in a theatrical way. 

           "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited about our news!" Selphie squealed, making Rinoa even more anxious to know. "What shall we order?" 

           "How about one of those things that we can all share? You know, with dips and stuff," Irvine suggested. 

           "You mean like order lots of things and eat a bit of everything?" Rinoa asked. 

           "Yeah, we could do that," Selphie decided. "So, shall we each order something?" 

           "Ok," Rinoa said looking over the menu. "I will order this, 'the mega-snack'. You get potato wedges, onion rings, fries, fresh bread, crispy bits of chicken and salad," Rinoa said, reading the list. 

           "Oh, good choice!" Selphie commented. "Well, I'll get a pizza. Everyone likes pepperoni?" Everyone nodded. "Irvy?"

           "Hmm, let me see. Ah ha! Pasta! Everyone loves pasta." 

           "Ok, well, we're ready to order!" Selphie said, standing up with the intention of placing the order at the bar. 

           "What are you doing, Selph?" Irvine asked. "It's waitress service here." 

           "Oh, is it?" Selphie asked, embarrassed. "Oh, who cares? They're taking too long. I'm just gonna go tell that man at the bar what we want," she said, determined. 

           "No wait, I'll go tell him. You sit here and _talk to Rinoa,_" Irvine said, pushing her back into her seat. Selphie suddenly looked worried and Irvine squeezed her shoulder and walked away. Selphie watched him leave before she began. 

           "Yeah, well Rinny, you see. I wanted to tell you this alone and face to face…"

           "What is it, Selph?"

           "I'm... pregnant, Rin," Selphie whispered. She averted her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Rinoa stared at her speechless. 

           "P..pregnant?" Rinoa repeated. Selphie nodded. 

           "Do you think that's good?" Selphie asked timidly. Rinoa smiled. 

           "Of course I think it's good. I just wasn't expecting… Don't you think it's good?" Rinoa asked, worried. 

           "Me? Yes! I mean of course it was a surprise, and it took some getting used to, but it just seems to make sense somehow," Selphie said, smiling. Tears were shining in the eyes of both of them now, it had been a long time since something emotional had happened to between them but it was easy to cry. 

           "I'm sure I don't need to ask this but, Irvine's the father right?" 

           "Of course," Selphie said, wiping a tear from her eye. Rinoa's shy smile began to grow until she was laughing through her tears. 

           "And here I was thinking you were dying or something," Rinoa said, trying to find a tissue in her pocket. 

           "I'm so sorry I made you worried," Selphie said, taking her hand from across the table. "I couldn't tell you this over the phone. You're my best friend, Rin, and the only family I've got." 

           "Oh, I'm so happy for you," she said, standing and walking around the table to hug her friend. "Are you guys getting married then?"

           "Yes, but not yet. We want to get things sorted here first, and Irvy still has to buy me a ring." Selphie said looking at her plain finger. "I was thinking about emeralds…" Selphie mused. 

           Rinoa stood and hugged Irvine as he came back to the table. 

           "Oh, you guys. I'm so pleased you're happy," Rinoa said, almost cracking Irvine's ribs.

           "Thank you, Rin. But there is someone in the doorway for you," he said, prying her away. Rinoa snapped her head up and gasped. 

           "Squall," she mumbled. "I'll be back in a min!" 

           Irvine welcomed the moment he had alone to kiss his fiancés cheek. Selphie blushed and held his hand.

           "I hope we're doing the right thing, Irvy," Selphie said, unsure.

           "We are, we are. Everything's gonna be fine, you'll see," he said reassuringly. Selphie beamed and turned her head to look at her friend. 

           "Squall!" Rinoa called as she ran towards him. "Thought you weren't gonna show!" 

           Squall faked a hurt expression. 

           "What? And leave you alone with those two maniacs!" Squall said teasingly. Rinoa slapped him on the arm. 

           "Shut up, you," Rinoa warned. 

           "Yes M'am!" he replied, saluting. Rinoa hit him again. 

           "Stop it, Squall. Could you get anymore embarrassing? Really!" Rinoa said, tugging on his sleeves. "Listen, there is something I just have to tell you! Selphie's gonna have a baby!" Rinoa squealed. 

           "Hyne forbid!" Squall muttered. 

           "Stop joking around. It's great news! Could you honestly say there could ever be a better mother? I mean look at those two, they're so…" Rinoa trailed off in search of a word. Squall looked at her friends who were gazing at each other lost in their own world. 

           "Perfect?" he suggested. Rinoa smiled up at him.

           "Yes. Perfect." 

           "Hey Squall, man! You wanna come join us?" Irvine shouted over suddenly. Rinoa and Squall tore their eyes away from one another and blushed; Hyne knew how long they had been standing there for.  

           "Yeah come on, Rin!" Selphie called, waving them over. "The food's here!" 

           "You ordered?" Squall asked as they walked over. 

           "It's snacks, really. We ordered enough for you as well, you know in a vain hope that you might show up," Rinoa teased. 

           "Hey I promised I'd be here, and I am," Squall said, annoyed. Rinoa laughed and sat down at the table. 

           "I'm just teasing," she said as Squall seated himself. 

           "Teasing? Who's teasing? Tell me!" Selphie said urgently, bouncing in her seat as she looked from Squall to Rinoa. 

           "It's nothing," Rinoa said, grinning at Squall. 

           "It's nice to see you again," Squall said as Rinoa placed a slice of pizza on his plate. He thanked her silently.  

           "It's been too long. We should go camping again!" Selphie suggested, not considering what had happened last time. 

           Rinoa blushed, and Squall looked uncomfortable. Obviously they were both remembering that awful trip. The image of Rinoa throwing a necklace on the dirt floor made them both exceptionally quiet. Irvine looked at them both and decided the subject needed to be changed quickly. 

           "So I hear the new theme park is underway?" he said biting into an onion ring. Squall stopped prodding the pizza and looked up. 

           "Oh yes. Well, it should be now, now that I went and sorted it out myself," Squall replied. 

           "Slacking workers," Rinoa added, filling in her friends on the story.      

               "Well, maybe next time you can take a stick with you, and if they look like they've been slacking. Smack them!" Selphie said energetically. Squall looked shocked, but the rest laughed. 

           "Then Rin can write about it. I can just see the headlines now…" Irvine said, shutting his eyes and tilting his head back as if to read them from the ceiling. Squall scoffed. 

           "Yes, well I'm sure public would love that. '**Exculsive**! **Leonhart** Goes Mental, Beats Worker With Stick,'" Squall suggested, keeping his face blank. 

           Rinoa almost choked on her drink.

           "Look there you go, giving her ideas!" Irvine said, looking at Rinoa. She held her hands up to show she wasn't going to lie. 

           "Well, it would sell. I'm not saying to wouldn't!" she said, smiling. Selphie laughed. 

           "Well, cheers," Squall said in a mock hurt voice. Rinoa hit him on the arm. 

           "You know I'd never write something like that," she said seriously. Squall scowled at her. "Stop looking at me like that!" she added after a pause. 

           "Like what?" Squall asked raising an eyebrow. 

           "Like that. As if you're about to do something mean!" Rinoa said, shifting away from him. Squall smirked.

           "Like this?" He asked grabbing an onion ring from her plate and stuffing it into his mouth. Rinoa looked at him, disgusted. 

           "Yeah!" she said trying not to laugh. Squall made a grab for another. "Hey, no you don't, these are mine! Ah, Squall get off!" Rinoa squealed, fighting back his hand. 

           Squall smiled and snaked his arm around her. He pulled her towards him and kissed her cheek, while Rinoa blushed deep red. The others at the table were smiling and rolling their eyes. 

"How'd you guys get on bowling then?" Squall asked suddenly. 

           "Well, Irvine beat us every time," Selphie said sulkily, she prodded a pizza crust with a straw as she spoke. "We had to put him on his own lane in the end." 

           "I would have thought you'd be great at this, Selphie." Squall said, looking at the people still rolling balls towards pins. 

           "Yeah, well I guess I'm not. It is fun, though," she said wistfully. 

           "Hey, Irvine, I bet Squall could beat you," Rinoa said, smiling. 

           "Shall we have a game?" Irvine asked. 

           "Sure why not?" Squall said, standing up. "Prepare to die," he added. 

           "Ha, that's what you think!"          

           Squall and Irvine continued to make empty threats as they walked away from the women at the table. As soon as they were out of earshot, Selphie raised an eye brow.

           "So, Miss Heartilly... What do you think you are doing?" she asked, smiling in an all knowing way, and then nodding towards Squall. Rinoa frowned.

           "Would you just stop asking me questions that I don't know the answers to?" she exclaimed, refusing to answer. "I don't know whether we're back together, I mean we just sort of hang out together."

           Selphie pulled a sour face and put her head in her hands, resting her elbows on table. 

           "Hang out together?" She repeated sarcastically. 

           "Stop it, Selphie. There's no point rushing into something, I mean I'm only 25, it's not as if I'm getting old or anything," Rinoa said, flicking a piece of cheese onto the floor without thinking, as soon as it hit the polished wooden floorboards she felt guilty for doing it. 

           "Is this still about your job? I mean come on, Rin, a job isn't everything!" Selphie said, looking at her open-mouthed in a cross between anger and bewilderment. Rinoa sighed and looked down at her lap, her hands had twisted into a knot and they suddenly looked shaky. It wasn't long before she realised the shaking was coming from the tears forming in her eyes. 

           A confused tear ran down her cheek and Selphie suddenly looked concerned. 

           "I love him so much, Selph," she whispered, still looking at her blurred hands. "But I'm just so scared." 

           "But why? I can't understand this Rin: if you love him, then why all the wasted time?" Selphie asked, shaking her head. Rinoa lifted her eyes slowly. 

           "Because if I admit that I want to be with him, I will have to give up my job, and if I do that I will be dependant once again. I won't go back to begging for money. I don't want to be kept by anyone." Rinoa said; the more the words flowed the more determined they became.         

           "Rinoa, can you really see Squall treating you like that? I admit I haven't known him as long as you have, but I know a good man when I see one, and Rinny, he is totally besotted with you. What else do you want?"

            "I just...don't know." 

           Selphie watched her best friend try to sort her emotions while sat in front of a half eaten pizza. This wasn't the best place for soul searching, and Selphie was sorry she had made her friend upset, but something just didn't add up with what Rinoa was using as her argument. She seemed to be genuinely afraid of being left with nothing; there had to be something she wasn't telling. 

           "I won't ask you again. You're old enough to make decisions on your own, but I just don't like seeing you so unhappy, especially since I want to celebrate," Selphie said, taking her friend's hand. Rinoa wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. 

           "Yes. I'm sorry, Selph," Rinoa said, forcing herself to smile again. 

           "Let's go and watch the guys get perfect strikes," Selphie said, pulling Rinoa to her feet. 

           They threw some money onto the table and walked down to the alleys. Squall and Irvine had won one game each, both with very high scores. 

           "It's so unfair," Selphie moaned. "Why are those two so good at this?" 

           "Hmm, probably because Irvine had to be good at at least one thing, and Squall has a bowling alley in his garden," Rinoa quipped, smirking. 

           Squall looked sideways at her and Rinoa winked. 

           Squall finally won their mini battle and replaced the ball in the stand with triumph. Irvine gave him an evil look in good humour and they both smiled and shook each other's hands. Selphie frowned at the very male way of saying they were friends, why didn't they just hug one another? It wasn't as if they'd die if they did. But for now that seemed to be enough to renew a dusty friendship.

           Rinoa was looking at Squall with pride. Selphie was right; he'd never treat her badly. It was obviously from the effort he was making with her friends that he wanted to be a deeper part of her life than just a few nights alone.  

           "So, what do we do now? I don't think I could play another game even if you paid me," Selphie said, jumping up from her chair as if that action alone would give her an answer. "You know we could go sightseeing!" she suggested enthusiastically. 

           "Selphie, I'm sure Squall doesn't want to go looking at things he sees everyday," Rinoa said carefully. Selphie looked disappointed. 

           "Sightseeing is fine. I fact, I've the perfect place," Squall said as he started to walk towards the exit.

           "Woohoo!" Selphie screamed, chasing after him. Rinoa and Irvine shrugged and followed. 

           Once they were outside, the friends stood in the doorway debating how they should travel. They had three cars and four people. Just as it seemed they were settled, a tractor came up over the hill and smashed into the back of Selphie's rented car. 

           "Okay. That was the last thing I was expecting to happen," Squall said, staring at the wreck in front of them. The driver of the tractor looked out of the window guiltily. He wasn't hurt. 

           "Problem with the brakes," he said sheepishly. He wiped his forehead with his arm, but then froze when he recognized Squall. "Sir!" he said jumping out of his vehicle and saluting. Squall looked embarrassed. 

           "I guess he was in the army, huh?" Rinoa muttered to no one particular. 

           "Are you alright?" Squall asked, walking towards him. 

           Selphie and Irvine still stood in shock and stared at their car. Finally Irvine blinked. 

           "Good job we bought that insurance, then," he said, still not fully understanding what was happening. Selphie began to walk towards the smashed car. 

           "I suppose we'll have to take your car after all," she said, expressionless. Rinoa suddenly burst into laughter; something about this was so ridiculous that she forgot that it was actually quite serious. 

           Squall was suddenly on his mobile and the tractor driver was being forced to sit down and rest. Squall was convinced that he probably had whiplash from the way he was rubbing his neck.

           It was twenty minutes before a siren was heard and an ambulance and a tow truck came rushing out of Esthar to help them. The man was loaded in the back of the ambulance, despite his protests and driven away in a flash of blue light. Selphie's car was put onto the truck, looking sorry for itself, and ordered to be taken back to the hire care firm that had supplied it. Rinoa had stopped laughing a long time ago and was watching Squall with fascination. He dealt with everything so calmly in a way that was almost frightening. It had to be the product of some type of training, and Rinoa had a brief flashback to when Squall had told her about his time in 'Garden'.

           Squall gave Rinoa a reassuring smile and she felt slightly better, he wasn't going to scold her for laughing. After everything was sorted and the truck prepared to leave, Squall walked back to them. He looked very concerned about Selphie.

           "How's the baby?"

           She looked at him blankly, then something triggered. 

           "Fine. I'm fine, thank you," she replied shakily. "Just a shock, that's all." 

           "Maybe we should get out of here then," Squall said, walking towards his car. "Rinoa, those guys can take your car right?"  

           "Sure," Rinoa said, throwing her keys towards Irvine. 

           "You can follow us into town," Squall said, still giving orders. 

           "Alright," Irvine replied, nodding and pushing Selphie towards Rinoa's car. Selphie still looked rather white and Irvine looked at her worried. "Hey. Um, maybe me and Selph should just go home." 

           "No, no I'm fine," Selphie protested. Irvine still looked worried. 

           "Selphie you've had a shock, you need to rest," Irvine said. Selphie sighed and nodded. 

           Rinoa looked from one to another. Suddenly she began to notice the bump Selphie carried, which she had missed before. A shock wasn't good for her, she needed to rest.

           "I'll collect it some time later," Rinoa said, watching them get into her car. Selphie waved from inside as they drove past. 

           "Well. I hope she's ok," Squall said, watching them drive away towards Esthar. Rinoa nodded and opened her side of Squall's car. Suddenly she stopped and let go of the handle.

           "Hey. Seeing as my car's gone..." Rinoa said, smiling. Squall raised an eyebrow. "Can I drive your car?" she asked, cheekily. 

           "Miss Heartilly, it would be my pleasure to let you drive," Squall said, walking to the passenger side and climbing in. Rinoa resisted the temptation to punch the air, she'd been wanting to drive this car ever since she saw it. "Just don't go mad," Squall warned as she sat next to him. 

           Rinoa rested her hands on the soft leather of the steering wheel and then looked down at the pedals. 

           "It only has two!" She said shocked. Squall just looked at her as if she was mad. 

           "Well, yeah..." Squall said sarcastically. "Accelerator and Brake. You don't need a clutch," Squall explained. Rinoa still looked worried. 

           "Talk about cutting corners. I suppose the car flies as well."   

           "Ha! Very funny. Just drive, or we'll be here forever," Squall said, feeling strange from sitting in the passenger side. Rinoa frowned and started the car with the shiny silver key. 

           "Ok, here we go!" she said, pressing down on the accelerator. It was odd not to use a middle pedal, but soon Rinoa forgot all about it. "So, what do we do now?" she asked once they were back in Esthar. The car had ran so smoothly that she had forgotten that Squall was even there, all her thoughts were focused on the road.

           "I dunno. Home? There's something I have to discuss with that dear sister of mine," Squall said, looking out of the window. Rinoa knew there was no point in suggesting any different, Squall had made his mind up whether he voiced it or not. 'Home' was where they were heading.    
          

**A/N:** Well there goes another update! Now that Selphie and Irvine are here, and all the news has been told, the plot should now finally begin to emerge. Hurray! 

Thank you to Bianka-Chan for beta-ing! And to all you reviewers!

**Chrono-Maku**

**Mariko**

**Lady Yevon**

**AngelPrinczcess29 **

**Hiasha**

**Mariana-chan1**

**Rizza426 **

**Melissa **

**Karla3**

**Andria**

**Omnitoad** (You should never eat more that one waffle if you want to see the light of day again. Lol)

**The Angel of the Lion** (That is so unfair! Although constantly writing fanfiction is helping me rattle off a 1,200 word essay in an hour…whether the essays are any good is a different matter entirely.) 

**Amber Tinted** (Hey I know that lazy feeling! I wish they'd invent coffee shots. I mean you can get vodka shots, so why not coffee shots?) 

**Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart **(Nothing quite as glamorous as that I'm afraid, I was just there where it was filmed. They should have cast me in the movie, I would have been fantastic…)

**Eiggem3 **


	9. The new assignment

                        **Chapter 9—The new assignment **

            Squall and Rinoa arrived back at the palace in the late afternoon, and the unsuspecting inhabitants were readily set upon. 

            "Squall, maybe you should just leave your sister alone. I mean, she is older than you, and Zell is really nice," Rinoa said, jogging to keep up with him. The servants, who had run out to meet them as soon as they had arrived, had been shocked to find Rinoa in the driver's seat and not Squall, and now there were a steady stream of followers that believed that Squall had hurt himself. 

            "For Hyne's sake, I am fine!" Squall snapped, finally causing one of the maids to jump. 

            "That wasn't very nice; they're just worried," Rinoa said, frowning. Squall scowled. 

            "Yeah, well they shouldn't," he decided. Rinoa put her hands on her hips.

            "Hey, there is no way I'm letting you talk to Ellone in this bad mood. Why the grumpiness all of a sudden?" Rinoa said, sounding like a mother scolding a child. Squall just glared at her. "Listen, let's just go and hang out in the breakfast room. Your father loves it in there, I'm sure he'll be there so we can say hi," Rinoa said, pushing him. 

            "Oh, I can't wait," Squall said, annoyed at being pushed, but Rinoa was right, something had suddenly made him angry and he didn't know what. 

            "Come on." 

            Laguna and Gloria after dinner always somehow found their way to the breakfast room. By far it was the best room in the house, mainly because it was Squall who had designed it, and built it for practicality rather than amusement. Laguna had begun sneaking a swivel chair in everyday, until Squall had given up insisting it be taken out due to clashing with the surroundings. Indeed the chair was an eyesore, but Laguna seemed immune to that kind of pain, and that was where they found when they entered, eating chocolate ice cream and sitting comfortably in his chair. 

            Gloria was reading a magazine that had a picture of her and Laguna on the front and was giggling at some reporter's article. 

            "Hey, Squall!" Laguna said, jumping up out of his chair and smiling. Squall nodded and sat down sullenly. Gloria gave Rinoa a 'what's the matter' look, and Rinoa shrugged. "So. How was your day?" 

            "We went bowling again!" Rinoa said, sitting down next to Squall. 

            "Rinoa had some exciting news today," Squall said. 

            "Oh?" Gloria asked. 

            "Yes, my friend's pregnant." 

            "Oh, how lovely! Is she still in Esthar?" Gloria asked, smiling. Laguna finished his ice-cream and put down his bowl in a noisy clatter. 

            "Is that Selphie? Little Selphie?" he asked looking shocked. 

            "Yes," Rinoa confirmed. His face broke into a huge grin. 

            "Ah! Fantastic. We must have you all 'round for dinner. In fact, let's have a party!" he said, standing up once more and almost dancing.

            "Yes, that's a wonderful idea. I would love to meet your friends, Rinoa." Gloria said as she tried to calm Laguna down. "Do you think they will come?" 

            "I'm sure they'd love to!" Rinoa said, excited for her friends more than for herself; they'd finally be able to attend one of Laguna's famous dances. 

            "So, what theme will it be this time?" Squall asked sarcastically. "Under the sea?" 

            "Stop it, Squall." Gloria chided, smiling. "Laguna always thinks of something, don't you, honey?" 

            "Hmm, how about mythical? Where everyone has to dress as their favourite mythical person," Rinoa offered. They all regarded her for a moment before Laguna began smiling again.

            "Yes! Mythical! I will go and tell the butler right away!" he said, rushing out of the room. 

            Gloria sighed. 

            "I hope your friends will enjoy the party. It'll be the same old people there, of course." she said, almost bored.

            "Well, why don't you invite some new people?" Rinoa asked, looking at Squall.

            "We don't know that many people," he said simply. "Listen, there is something I need to tell you…"

            "Oh! That's my phone!" Rinoa said, pulling out the little noisy object from her pocket. "Um, please excuse me," she said, walking of the room. Squall frowned and walked through the adjoining room into the kitchen. 

            ***

            "Hello?" Rinoa asked into her phone. 

            "Ah, Miss Heartilly!" It was her boss, and by the way his voice was sounding it appeared he had something he wanted her to do. "Could you please make your way to my office as soon as you can? It seems your big story has finally arrived."  

            Rinoa's heart leapt.

            "Certainly Sir, right away!" she said, clicking the phone shut and walking back into the breakfast room. "Squall, I…" 

            "Through there, dear." Gloria said, pointing over her shoulder while reading the magazine.  

            "Oh, um, thanks." 

            Rinoa followed the rough directions she had been given into the kitchen and found Squall burying himself in the fridge.

            "If that's Ellone, the answer is no, I didn't eat the ice cream," he said absently. Rinoa smiled.

            "It's not Ellone. Anyway, weren't you supposed to be mad with her?" Rinoa said cheekily. Squall snapped his head out of the fridge and looked at Rinoa. 

            "I'm not mad, I'm just…oh never mind. I don't even know the answer to that one," he said, looking back in to the fridge and pulling out a pineapple-flavoured jelly. "Want any?" he asked after placing it on the table behind him. 

            "No, thank you. Squall, I need to get to my office, something's come up and I need to leave right away," she said, hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed that she was leaving so soon. 

            "Ok," he replied simply. 

            "The thing is, Selphie has my car," She finished, smiling hopefully. She really didn't want to call for a taxi if she could help it, but she also didn't want to push her luck. 

            "You can borrow my car if you want to," Squall said, handing her the keys. Rinoa took them slowly and held them as if they were made of gold. 

            "Oh, Squall thank you! This story is going to be great. I can just tell!" she said, excited. Squall watched her as he took a spoon from the drawer. Suddenly she stopped talking and stared at him. "Are you sure it's alright for me to take your car? I mean you might need it!" 

            "No, it's fine. I have other cars, but that's not the point. Rinoa, I was trying to tell you earlier, the reason I was late meeting you and your friend today was that some business of my own came up. I'm leaving in two days to meet with General Caraway." 

            Rinoa's face fell, and she almost winced in pain. Squall frowned. 

            "Something wrong?" he asked, worried. 

            "No. Just, General Caraway is my father," she said without any emotion. To say Squall looked stunned was an understatement. 

            "But..."

            "Yeah, our last names don't match. Just like you and your father, hey?" she said, trying to make a joke. 

            "You…"

            "It doesn't matter. I hate him, he hates me, and you can imagine that we haven't kept in contact," she said, looking at her nails. "I just pity you for having to speak to him."

            "Rinoa, this is…" he was interrupted once again.

            "Don't think on it. I wasn't going to tell you, as far as I'm concerned he died along time ago and I'm sure he'd say the same about me. It just slipped out, I'm sorry." 

            Squall couldn't think of anything to say so he just kept quiet. 

            "Well, I best get going," Rinoa said, pocketing the car keys. Squall grabbed her arm. 

            "Wait, I still haven't told you what I need to," he said urgently. Rinoa stopped trying to walk to the door and stood listening. "I'll be leaving in two days like I said, and so I won't be able to see you. But I'd like to, I mean, when I get back, see you that is," Squall said nervously. He was beginning to mumble his words, which wasn't a very winning idea. 

            "I'll call you, then," Rinoa said, smiling. Squall let go of her arm. "I'll call you," she confirmed as she walked out of the door backwards, giving him the best genuine smile she could find.

            Squall watched her leave and stabbed the spoon into the jelly. As soon as something began to go right, something else had to come along and spoil it, like her stupid job!

            Rinoa found herself standing in the rain as the butler ordered someone to fetch Squall's car for her. After that it wasn't long before she was on her way to the office in style. 

            The elevator was being slow again today and Rinoa tapped her foot impatiently as it stopped at two floors before reaching the ground. Rinoa fortunately had the tiny machine to herself as she pressed the button and waited until she was taken up. The office was just as busy as she remembered it, and she found her feet leading her to her boss's small room without instruction. Rinoa knocked excitedly on the wooden door and waited for a reply. 

            "Come on in!" 

            She pushed to door open slowly and walked in. A lady with a briefcase and a clip file pushed past her on her way out. Rinoa scowled after her. 

            "Rinoa, have a seat. Thank you for coming here on such short notice," her boss said, smiling. Rinoa almost fell over in shock. He was being nice?

            "No problem," she replied uncertainly as she sat down. After she was seated, he proceeded onto business. 

            "As you will know, a while back we did a feature about an escaped criminal," he said, folding his arms over his chest. 

            "The serial killer," Rinoa said, nodding. 

            "Yes. Well, the woman who did the feature has been taken ill, and we are sending you in her place." 

            "Sending me where, Sir?" Rinoa asked confused. 

            "What you will not know, because it will only be realized to the public tomorrow morning is that the criminal was caught today, and is now in holding. What we want you to do is interview him." 

            "What are you--crazy?" Rinoa asked, jumping up.

            "No, but he is. So take extra special care." 

            "Sir, I don't think I can do this. I haven't the training to speak to someone like that," Rinoa said, panicking. Her boss shook his head.

            "Rinoa, you have been pushed into some of the hardest situations a journalist would ever have to face, and each time you have pulled it off. I don't know how you do it, but you work well under pressure, and from your past experiences you are the most qualified journalist we have. This story is yours, so don't let your fear get in the way."

            Rinoa sat listening quietly. This was the first time he had ever really praised her, and she knew he wasn't one to give out praise lightly. The feeling was addictive and she found herself agreeing when she should be refusing.

            "I'll do it," she said, smiling. Suddenly she felt pride at having been picked. "Are there questions for me to ask?"

            "Of course. But you might want to add your own, spice things up a bit."        

            Rinoa thought his manner of speaking somewhat out of place. This wasn't a light matter, this was dangerous. Couldn't he see that? But maybe there was something he didn't know. 

            "May I have some background on him, Sir?" she asked relaxing. It was ok; she could be in control of this.

            "Yes. Here we are, files on Quikstine. Inside is a copy of the questions you should ask, please feel free to expand on them," he said, placing a small stack of papers in front of her. 

            "Thank you," Rinoa mumbled. "When am I to leave?"  

            "Anytime in the next two weeks, but no later than that. The day I will leave you to arrange, you will find contact details inside; they know you will be calling," he said calmly. 

            "Sir, might I ask why I am I interviewing this man?" Rinoa asked, not feeling the nervousness anymore. Her boss was right; this could be her next big story. 

            "No other newspaper has dared to before. Esthar-papers like to tread first and leave others to follow," he said, smiling. 

            "Great," Rinoa said sarcastically. 

            "Rinoa, don't worry about this. If he won't talk to you, or there is some other problem, then don't worry. It was just an idea of mine that wouldn't go away. But, please Rinoa try your hardest," he said in a voice that signalled the end of the meeting. 

            Rinoa nodded and stood. She would be glad when she was out of this office and she could sort out her thoughts. Once outside she could push it to the back of her mind and forget it for a while. 

            Excited but nervous was the strange mix of emotions that ran through her blood and down her spine. The anxiety of a new assignment to work on was what drove her along. It was the thrill of the anticipation and satisfaction when it was done that kept strong the love she had for her job. Sighing, Rinoa ran a hand through her hair and unlocked Squall's car. She sat inside and took a deep breath and started the engine. She decided rather than go back to the palace; she'd go back to her apartment and freshen up.          

            Rinoa jammed her key into her door and pushed it open. The room was just as she'd left it a few days ago, although a little musty, but that could soon be fixed by opening a window. Her stomach grumbled and she looked at the clock, 8pm, she wondered where all the hours had gone. Boiling a kettle she made a cup of coffee and sat down on the sofa. Today had turned out to be pretty unpredictable, and in one way she was glad that it was over. The television showed her pictures of the latest female singer and Rinoa wondered whether she'd ever do a story about her, and then wondered if anyone was planning on reporting on_ her_. Maybe they were outside right now! At this thought Rinoa got up and closed the curtains and retreated to her bathroom. Maybe she'd be really naughty and call Squall from the bath, she blushed thinking about it and decided she'd see how brave she was once she was in there. 

            Picking up her phone in trembling fingers, Rinoa pressed the numbers and waited. She kept her hold tight, although she doubted she'd die if it fell in the water, but the phone would never work again if it did. 

            "Hello?" 

            "Hello, Squall." Rinoa said, unable to keep the smile off of her face, if only he knew. She almost burst into giggles when he asked her what she was doing. "Well, if you must know, I'm in the bath." She almost heard Squall's jaw drop. 

            "Where do you live again? I'll be right over." 

            "You can't, I've got your car," she said in a lower voice than usual. What was wrong with some shameless flirting? It wasn't hurting anyone, and besides, it was fun. 

            "Well, I'll take the chopper. You stay right there." 

            Rinoa laughed. 

            "There's plenty of room in here," she said, splashing the water around her. 

            "Rinoa, I never thought you were the type for dirty phone calls." 

            "Shows how little you know. But no, it isn't that type of call. I've been given a new story, and I can tell it's gonna be a good one. But I'm not going to tell you anymore than that, because it might all go wrong yet," she said, raising herself out of the water and stepping out of the bath.

            "I'm sure it won't. But, Rin, why didn't you come back here after you'd finished?" 

            Rinoa sighed. She had just known he was going to ask her that. 

            "I live _here_ Squall. Thank you for letting me stay at yours, but all my things are here, and besides it would be a waste of the rent I pay every month if I wasn't even using it," Rinoa explained, pulling her dressing gown on. "I just called really to, well, you're going away, and I won't see you for a while so maybe we could meet up again?" 

            "Rin, I'd love to, but I have so much work needing to be done for when we go..."

            "That's ok. I'll call you when you get back," Rinoa said, feeling disappointed. "Listen, I better go." 

            "Yeah, me too. I guess I'll see you soon then," he said, sounding just as unhappy as Rinoa felt. She smiled slightly. 

            "Yeah. Oh, and, Squall..." she said closing her eyes, her heart hammering. It was now or never, but her lips refused to move. Finally she bit one and the words came out in a steady stream. "I love you." Frightened, she hung up the phone and half-cringed half-smiled into her towel. She'd said it, after so long of battling against her feelings, and she felt so warm and light-headed that she lay down on her bed and fell asleep smiling.

A/N: Yeah the plot is beginning to creep in now! I've been waiting so long to write it, and now it's here! I'm so excited! 

Once again, thank you to Bianka-chan for beta-ing!

Chrono-Maku, onmitoad, AngelPrinczess29, Mariko, Billie The kid, Archangel_666.

La Senioriza : You should read some of mine. Lol. 


	10. The last story

Chapter 10—The last story

            The next day Rinoa found herself drinking hot chocolate with Selphie in a small café that she'd found in the mall. They had spent two hours in the baby shop, the one Rinoa had found a long time ago when she'd been hiding from the rain. 

            "So, he just called you in and gave you the job?" Selphie asked as she bit into a slice of chocolate cake. 

            "Yeah, just like I said. So, now I'm off to interview some mad guy," Rinoa joked, sipping her chocolate. 

            "So, what did he do?" 

            "Who?" Rinoa asked, staring out at the shoppers through the window. 

            "Derr, the crazy guy!" Selphie said, startling a few people around her and Rinoa out of her daydream.

            "Oh. Sorry. Well you mustn't tell anyone; it's apparently classified information until they choose to release it."

            "Ok, I promise." 

            "Well, apparently this guy was a really powerful politician of Deling City. He organized a rebel party to take over the government, but two weeks before the planned takeover, Quikstine, the crazy dude, pulled out and hired some SeeD's to back up his team," Rinoa said, her voice dropping until it was barely a whisper. "But the takeover never happened, and one by one the SeeDs began to disappear. Only one ever returned to Garden. They wouldn't give me his name, not that it's important. It was months before the survivor talked, and it turned out that Quikstine shot each of them one by one." 

            "No," Selphie whispered, speechless. Rinoa nodded slowly. 

            "I couldn't believe it when I read the file. How could someone do something so terrible like that?" Rinoa muttered, looking out of the window. When she'd read the file she'd almost broken down in tears, inside was a statement from the survivor, filled with emotions she wished she never had to face. It had been difficult to read, but she had to struggle though it in order to know what she would be talking to. 

            "So, how did that one SeeD survive?" 

            "The file was a bit fuzzy about that part. The guy that survived was the last one to be shot, and after he was, Quikstine made a getaway. The SeeD was shot in the side, and found shortly after by a cleaning lady. She called an ambulance and saved his life," Rinoa reeled off with the smallest amount of emotion possible.

            "Wow, pretty impressive," Selphie said, gaping.

            "Yeah, but I'm not feeling so great about it. I mean, the guy shot people for no reason."    

            "Yes, but what an opportunity! I mean, not everyone can do something like this. Rinny, this is huge! Its' gonna be one heck of a story," Selphie said happily, her face clearly showing her excitement. Rinoa sighed and stared back out at the shoppers. 

            "I know Selph, but I feel so guilty," Rinoa said, resting her head in her hands. 

            "Guilty of what?" Selphie asked, frowning. 

            "I just...don't want to do this anymore. I'm so confused. Sometimes I wake up and all I want is to tell the truth to the world. To keep on writing and show everyone what I can do. But on the other days...all I want is to be with Squall. I want them both, but I can't have both. It's one or the other, and I'm beginning to think that my job just isn't worth it." 

            "Well done," Selphie said softly. 

            "What?" Rinoa asked, snapping her head up to look at her friend. 

            "For finally realizing that a job can't give you what you really need. Sure, it makes you feel as if you have a purpose in the greater world, but Rin, nothing compares to being with the one you love," Selphie said with a twinkle in her eye that shimmered as a tear fell down her cheek. "I left my job for Irvy and the baby, and you know I've ever regretted it. Rinoa, you are a writer, that's what you are. Some people can split atoms, others can build rockets, some can sing like angels, but people like you can write emotions on paper. Don't you how great a gift that is? It's never going to go away, Rin. You'll always be able to write whether you're working for a newspaper or not. Your book was the greatest thing I'd ever read. Don't be afraid to leave the papers." 

            Rinoa held her breath through out Selphie's explanations. It was the nicest compliment she ever received. People could tell her she was beautiful, or could say she was the best friend in the world, but to compliment her writing was something that went straight to her heart. 

            "Selphie, I..." Rinoa whispered, a mascara laced tear falling onto her lap. Selphie shook her head.

            "Don't answer it; there's nothing to say," Selphie said quietly. Rinoa groaned and laid her head on her folded arms.    

            "Oh, I think I want to leave it all," she mumbled. Selphie grabbed her arms, making her lift her eyes. 

            "Then quit!" 

            "What? Don't take the story?" Rinoa was puzzled. 

            "No. Write the story. Just make it your last. You know, finish with a bang!" 

            "Yes! Yes, the last story! The last story I ever write for a newspaper," she said, standing up suddenly. Selphie lifted her cup in agreement. "Wow, this is going to be the best story I have ever written. Thank you, Selphie! I'll call you soon." 

            "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Selphie asked, annoyed. "You sit back down." 

            "I'm gonna go arrange the interview. Deling City, here I come!" Rinoa squealed, grabbing her back and bouncing away. "Goodbye!" 

            Selphie stared at her, dumbfounded. Had they suddenly switched personalities, or was Rinoa having some sort of early midlife crisis? Either way, the answer was worrying. But in true Selphie style, she shrugged it away and ordered more ice cream, telling herself she was eating for two now.

            Rinoa rushed through the mall as if she was floating on air. She was actually looking forward to this story. She'd show the world that she hadn't disappeared. Heartilly was still here, and was about to leave the world speechless. 

Jogging to Squall's car, she jumped in and reached for her phone. Tapping in the numbers with shaking fingers, Rinoa waited until it was answered on the other line.

            "Hello? Hi, my name is Rinoa Heartilly; I'm a journalist at... Yes, that's right. Would it be possible to arrange an interview with Mr. Quikstine in two days time?" Rinoa waited for an answer. "Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you. 10a.m., perfect. Ok, thank you very much. Goodbye." 

            Taking a deep breath, Rinoa started the engine and waited until her hands stopped trembling before pulling out of the car park and heading to the train station. Leaving Squall's car surrounded by others, Rinoa waited two hours in a small café before catching the next train to Deling City. 

            Her ticket was second class, meaning she had her own compartment which could be shared with five others, but it seemed the train was empty on this journey and she was left alone. The journey passed without event, for which Rinoa was grateful. She slept most of the many boring hours, and woke up thirty minutes before they pulled into the next station to sort her paper work. 

            Quikstine would be kept in holding until he was declared sane, but, considering his past crimes, Rinoa thought that that was very unlikely. If freed from the asylum, he'd face the death penalty sentence. Rinoa shuddered. Capital punishment was something she was a little jumpy about, but a quick look at his crime brought Rinoa pro.  

            The train ride that had seemed to have lasted forever finally ended. After rearranging her hair and gathering up her papers, Rinoa stepped out into the busy corridor of the train and then onto the platform of Deling City station. Frowning at the cold weather that she now found herself in, Rinoa sighed and flagged down a brightly coloured taxi and clambered in. 

            "The Roslet Hotel, please," she ordered once she was settled. Tonight she would stay in the hotel and relax; tomorrow she would start working.  

***

            Rinoa woke up in the strange bed with a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. Her alarm clock was still ringing, and she suddenly remembered: the interview was today. Flinging the covers away, Rinoa headed for the bathroom with sluggish steps. She really didn't want to get up right now. Her body was telling her that she needed two more hours of sleep, but she knew that was impossible. The morning was the only time she could do this interview without being in somebody's way, or messing up the asylum schedules. 

            After a shower, Rinoa dressed as if going to her office. Smart but casual was always the best way to dress if you weren't sure about who you were meeting; besides, it was hardly proper to interview someone whilst wearing jeans. Shrugging at her reflection in the mirror, Rinoa looked her room and left the hotel with a light briefcase in her hand. Getting a taxi was proving difficult this morning. No one wanted to stop for her, but finally one pulled up and the friendly man poked his head out of the window. 

            "Where to, Miss?" he asked as Rinoa opened the door. Rinoa cringed. 

            "The city asylum," Rinoa said. She felt her cheeks flush as his face flicked with uncertainty. 

            "Alright," he said, pulling out of the stop and into the traffic. 

            Rinoa didn't say anything else during the drive but stared out of the window in a bored sort of way. She'd lived here for many years before her move to Galbadia, but had never come this far east of the city centre. The taxi stopped, and Rinoa paid the man the correct amount of money before climbing out. In front of her was a red-bricked building that had been extended in many places. The doorway did nothing to invite the nervous; an impressive heavy wooden door hung on blackened hinges and looked suspiciously creaky. Rinoa pressed the call button and waited as a little click noise was heard and then a voice. 

            "Name and purpose please?" asked a squeaky female voice. Rinoa leaned towards the microphone and answered. 

            "Rinoa Heartilly. I'm here to interview Mr. Quikstine." 

            There was a buzz noise and then the vice returned. 

            "Push the door, please." 

            Rinoa did as she was instructed and pushed open the door. She was immediately greeted by the owner of the annoying voice. 

            "Hello, Rinoa. My name is Grace, Mr. Gray's secretary. Is there anything I can get you before you begin your interview?" she asked, smiling. Rinoa shook her head. 

            "No, thank you. I'd like to begin right away." 

            "Alright, follow me please. Mr. Gray is not here at the moment, so if there are any problems, please tell either me or one of the other senior members of staff." 

            Rinoa suddenly realized who she was referring to. Mr. Gray had been the one she'd spoken to on the phone. 

The walk to the cells was long and confusing. All the hallways looked the same to Rinoa, and she followed the woman in a dreamlike state. 

            "The criminally insane are on the floor below us," she said suddenly. Rinoa jumped at the sound of her voice and walked inside the elevator that had appeared in front of them. "Most of the patients on this floor are still at breakfast, that's why it's so quiet." 

            "Oh," Rinoa said, not sure of what she should say. 

            "This is where I leave you now. Quikstine's cell is the one on the end; the others are empty apart from the first. Dan will be down here if you have any worries," she said, looking at a middle-aged man dressed in a blue boiler suit. Rinoa nodded. 

            "Thank you," she said, aware that her voice was shaking. 

            The walls were painted white with a mixture of tiles that would have once formed a pattern if most weren't missing. It was dark down there, but not in a frightening way, and Rinoa had to let her eyes adjust before walking down the row of cells. The first was occupied by a young man who was grumbling in his sleep. Rinoa hurried past and looked straight ahead; finally, she reached the correct cell and looked in. 

            "Good morning. You must be Miss Heartilly." 

A/N: I've already been warned by Bianka that you'll probably hate me right now, so, I'm apologising for the cliff-hanger before you kill me. But the chapter had to end somewhere, or it would have ended up being ridiculously long. I won't be set my essays until Wednesday and Thursday (Yay!) so an update shouldn't be too far away. 

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!    


	11. Home to a bullet

**A/N**: People can't die in pg13's, at least not in horrible ways. (hint hint) 

            **Chapter 11 – Home to a bullet**

            "Good morning," Rinoa said briskly. Behind her was a selection of folding chairs, and Rinoa took one and sat down upon it. 

            "You look just as I'd imagined," he said, smiling. 

            Quikstine was a small man, with greying hair and a gentlemanly smile. Rinoa thought he might be rather nice looking if he wasn't dressed in white and under such a glaring bright light. 

            "I have some questions I'd like to get started on," Rinoa said, opening her bag and pulling out a pad of paper. 

            Quikstine shook his head and walked to the back of his cell and sat down on the floor. He began to hum a tune that dipped and rose in volume. Rinoa waited for him to stop, but after ten minutes of the relentless noise Rinoa began to get annoyed. 

            "Look. I don't care if you talk to me or not. It makes little difference anyway. I'm getting paid whether you answer my questions or if we just sit here." 

            Quikstine stopped making his noise and looked up, a grin fixed on his face. He stepped up to the bars and looked her over. 

            "My, what a cynical outlook on life you have, Miss Heartilly. You should lighten up." 

            "Are you going to answer my questions or not?" Rinoa snapped. 

            "No. But you can answer one of mine." 

            Rinoa shuffled in her chair, her instinct was to move far away, but she wouldn't let him see that she was afraid. 

            "That is not the purpose of this interview," she said carefully. 

            "Ah, but one should always know one's enemy," he said, a slight twinkling in his eye that made Rinoa shiver. 

            "What is it you want to ask?" Rinoa said, thinking it was best to get it over with. 

            "Hmm..." he mused, pretending to be thinking. "Young Mister Leonhart and yourself must be very close. I've read about it in the papers. They let me have the paper when I've been good," he added with a touch of pride. 

            "Why do you care about that?" Rinoa asked, annoyed. 

            "Oh, no reason, just this: does Mister Leonhart still have the mark?" 

            "Mark? What mark?" Rinoa asked, losing her patience. 

            "Dear, dear Rinoa, must I be more specific?" he asked in a sing-song voice. "Surely in the long time you have known one another you must have visited the bedroom." Rinoa frowned. 

            "This is getting too far away from the subject. Mister Quikstine, I will ask my questions now. In..." 

            "One his side...a sort of bullet wound..." 

            Rinoa gasped and pushed her chair backwards so it scraped along the floor. 

            "You, you shot him!" Rinoa stuttered. 

            Quikstine laughed a cruel, hollow laugh.

            "I shot many," he said, smiling. "Leonhart was the only one that didn't die. Oh, didn't he tell you? Maybe he doesn't trust you--his journalist girlfriend. How could he ever trust you with anything? A career girl like yourself, you'd write a feature about it. Selfish woman." 

            Rinoa let the words wash over her. 

            "Why?"

            "Why? All those foolish young boys, believing in loyalty, peace, happiness, I wanted to show them that there was never going to be any of that for them. They were SeeDs, soldiers, robots, trained only to kill. I had to break their dreams; they didn't deserve such illusions. They're monsters."

            Rinoa startled at his warped imagination. How could someone believe something like that? 

            "Why are you telling me this?" Rinoa questioned. 

            "Because you've chosen me over him, thank you." 

            "What are you talking about?" Rinoa asked raising an eyebrow.

"Remember all those times you got so close to finding out what happened to him while he was a SeeD? You remember all those questions that he'd never answer? It was I. I shot him! I shot them all! Only little Leonhart managed to get away." 

            "No," Rinoa screamed, standing up.

            "Sit down, you silly little girl. All you writers are pathetic, standing up for truth and freedom. Haven't you ever realized that there is none to be had?" 

            "Why are you telling me this? Why me? You wouldn't speak to anybody before now. I know, I read everything in your file. Everything! Don't you talk to me about being pathetic; I'm not the one in a cell," Rinoa snapped. 

            "Calm down," he said, walking towards the bars. "Do you want to know why I'm telling you?" he asked in a musical voice, as if the words were the puppets for Rinoa's amusement. He was taunting her and there was nothing she could do about it. 

            "Yes," Rinoa whispered.

            "I've been down here for many years, Miss Heartilly, and this has been my first chance to gloat," he said, a demonic smile spreading over his face. He stared at her for a second then burst into a mechanical stream of laughter. Rinoa felt herself begin to shake. She couldn't take this anymore. But before she could reach for her bag, he sensed what she was about to do. "No, no, Miss Heartilly, don't you think about running away now."

            "You have nothing of value to say to me. I am leaving now, and I am sorry that I ever came here." Rinoa reached for her bag and held the Dictaphone in a shaking hand. She looked at it and debated whether to switch it off. 

            "My, my, what do we have here?" Quikstine asked, looking at the device. Rinoa made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. 

            "A Dictaphone." She answered simply. 

He grinned.

"Well, in that case, I will tell you something that you can treasure forever," he said, clearly enjoying the moment of suspense. Rinoa quickly considered running away, but in the end stood her ground. "He got away once, but today he won't be so lucky." 

            "What?" Rinoa whispered, not daring to breathe lest she miss something.

            "He will die today, and not you or anybody else can stop it." 

            "What do you mean? Who will die? Tell me now!" Rinoa demanded, her anger overpowering her fear. 

            Quikstine jumped up and down and ran to the back of the cell. He turned around sharply and ran towards the bars, banging his hands on the cold metal. He hissed at her. 

            "DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT? DID HE REALLY THINK HE'D ESCAPED ME?" he screamed. Taking a deep breath and watching Rinoa's horrified face, he continued, "No. Now he and his whole family will die! They will arrive back in Esthar to a bullet." 

            "Squall," Rinoa let his name fall from her lips as she gasped. "When? How?" She screamed, banging her own hands on the bars. Quikstine filled the air with a piercing screech. 

            "Five minutes. There are more than bats in the belfry, in the belfry, in the belfry!" 

            Rinoa grabbed her bag and ran back up the corridor, leaving her notes scattered all over the floor. 

            "Squall, please answer!" She screamed into her phone as she ran up the stairs and into the maze of corridors. "Oh Hyne, which way?" 

            Finally she made her way outside, passed a very confused secretary and out into the street. There was no answer from Squall's phone and she quickly dialled for the local police. Her head was spinning as she waited for an answer; she wasn't supposed to be doing this. Things like this happened to other people, not to her. 

            "Hello. Deling City Police Station."  

            "Oh, quick! I've been tipped off about an assignation attempt that is about to happen against President Loire and his family," Rinoa said in a rush. There was a stunned silence on the end of the line. 

            "I'll...I'll connect you." 

            Rinoa looked at her watch and panicked, she'd already run out of time. 

            "Oh, come on, come on," she whispered, almost fainting. Her heart was hammering, and she'd forgotten to breathe long ago. A combination of both of these brought forward the black spots that covered her vision. The sound of a man's deep voice brought Rinoa back. 

            "Security." 

            "Assination attack...belfy....President...Squall." Rinoa gasped after each word. She must have sounded genuine enough as on the other line orders were being shouted and there was a great deal of panic. Finally his voice came back to her. 

            "Your name, please?" he asked urgently. Rinoa willed herself to speak, although she felt as if she opened her mouth she might be sick. 

            "Rinoa Heartilly. Journalist," she added to show that, she wasn't just Miss Nobody from Nowhere. 

            "Where is your location?" he asked. 

            "Deling City. Outside the city asylum," Rinoa said in a voice barely above a whisper.

            "Make your way to the airstrip," he ordered. "Someone will fly you here." He hung up. 

            Rinoa didn't allow herself to think, instead she called straight away for a taxi and got herself to the airstrip as instructed. A man was waiting for Rinoa as she climbed out of the car. He waved at her urgently. 

            "Hurry please, Miss," he called. Rinoa didn't need to be called twice. She ran over the field towards him, not caring how much mud she picked up on her shoes as she went. "I am instructed to fly you straight to Esthar. Your name is Heartilly, correct?" 

            "Yes," Rinoa replied breathlessly. 

            "Jump in. The flight will take two hours in this baby," he said, starting the engine. Rinoa closed her eyes as they took off at what Rinoa thought was a tremendous speed.              

            Two minutes into the flight, the pilot switched on a two-way radio. There was a crackling noise.

            "I have Heartilly, over," he said, tapping some buttons.

            "Good work, over." 

            "Report? Over." 

            "Nothing yet...."

            The next few seconds were filled with distant screams and the before calm voice suddenly admitted a string of curses before being replaced with a fuzzy noise. 

            "What's going on?" Rinoa asked, urgently grabbing his shoulder.

            "I...I don't know," he stammered. 

            Rinoa felt herself fill with tears. It was too late, she was too late. What was she going back too?

A/N: Don't panic! The next chapter has already been written, and will be up very soon. Sorry about the delay for this chapter, I left it in a really horrible place last time... 

As always, thank you so much to all of you who took the time to review.

omnitoad, Mariko, remote mine, Karla3, Chrono-Maku, Kriger, The Angel of the Lion, FFgal, Archangel_6 6 6, eiggem3, Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart, Lady Yevon.   


	12. Buried deep

**A/N:** Chapters begin to overlap one another in this part of the story. This one is centering on how Squall arrived home. The next will be how Rinoa did. Confusing? I hope not. Any questions, send me an e-mail or ask them in your review! 

**Chapter 12—Buried deep **

Squall sat in the back of the helicopter, feeling depressed. The meeting hadn't gone all too smoothly, and once again it had been up to him to take up the fight on his father's behalf. Eventually, he had won, and Esthar was now going to be allowed to train their soldiers with SeeD in their own country. A commander of the new Esthar Garden had not yet been decided, and since he had graduated long ago, despite complications of a certain mission, he had hopes that he might be able to take the position himself. Rinoa's words about her father didn't seem too far off the mark; he could see why she disliked him. He was proud, much too formal, and rude--nothing at all like his daughter. 

Quistis sat beside him for this part of the journey. It was her job to review her notes with him and discuss how the talks went. Today she had little to say. Everyone seemed to be clear on the agenda and didn't need her recaps. She instead shifted the hem on her skirt and thought about taking it up a little. Squall watched her shift her skirt around until it became boring and looked out of the window. Nobody else was doing anything interesting, and his eyes shifted back to Quistis, who was now adjusting her watchstrap. He wondered briefly how she managed to get all her clothes to match like they did, then contemplated asking her and decided against it. Such a question would be so random in the silence that it would break the silence into becoming uncomfortable. Maybe he'd ask some other time.   

Squall hadn't told any of his family about Rinoa's new story, mainly because he knew little about it himself. But when she had told him she had sounded fairly excited, so he hoped it was going well. He had no idea when she was going to do this story. In fact, all of their communications were a little vague. He also realized that he hadn't told her how long his trip was going to take, but they usually lasted about a day, so he supposed Rinoa had guessed already. Either that or she had telephoned the palace staff and asked. 

Laguna was fidgeting with his own clothes that had twisted themselves around him and now refused to straighten. 

            "Oh, damn this shirt. Why did you let me buy it Squall?" he asked, shifting and making it worse.

            "I didn't let you buy it. You ordered it through the TV, like you did the broken coffee machine, the broken toaster, the broken radio..."

            "The curtains that fell down after two days, the lampshade that caught fire, the tea pot that blew up..." Quistis continued on the end of Squall's list. Laguna folded his arms in a sulk. 

            "That teapot was not my fault. Ellone bought that," he said moodily. Quistis laughed. 

            "A glow in the dark teapot...I doubt Ell would have bought that," Quistis said, smiling.

            "Ok, ok, fine. I did buy the teapot, but the advert for it was really good. There were these two dogs, and one cat, a budgie, and...." 

            The president continued to tell them about the advert, while on the other side of the world, a certain young woman was being told about something quite different. 

            "We're nearly there now," Squall said, stopping Laguna mid-flow and preventing a detailed description of how the dog made a cup of tea in the dark. "I think I will ask them to remove that teapot advert from the TV," Squall added, after the silence crept back in. 

            "NO!" Laguna protested. "What happens when you need a cup of tea in the middle of the night? Huh? Huh?" 

            "Err...you switch on a light?" Squall answered, confused. Laguna opened his mouth to reply then shut it again. 

            "Ha, hadn't thought of that," he admitted quietly. 

            Squall's fears for his sanity just went up by one point. 

            "I can see the helipad, guys," Quistis remarked, looking out of the window. "There is a lot of people down there," she added in a worried tone. "I hope we don't land on anybody! Oh, I can't watch!" she squealed, burying her head in her lap. Squall frowned at her. 

            "We won't land on anyone," he said confidently. A grin appeared on his face, he was obviously imagining landing on someone. In a perfect world, they'd squash that weird Seifer fellow. Squall wondered what had happened to him, but then decided he really didn't care. "Which is a shame, a lot of problems could be resolved that way. I can think of a few people I'd like to drop a helicopter on," Squall added, mainly to himself. 

            "That's not very nice," Quistis scolded. Squall grinned again.

            "Wooh! Here comes the best part!" Laguna shouted, jumping up and down on his seat. Squall rolled his eyes. Personally, he hated the landing part, especially when this particular pilot was flying. Quickly, he fastened his safety belt and looked at his watch. They were later than expected. 

            The helicopter touched the floor with a bump and lifted again before gently touching down. 

            "Yeah! That was a good landing!" Laguna said, jumping off of his seat and stretching. 

            Squall hadn't thought it had been a good landing. In fact, he wondered whether that pilot was really sober. Quistis looked worriedly out of the window for signs of squashed people, but the crowds were further back than she'd thought, and the possibility of anyone actually getting close enough to be squashed was extremely small. 

            "See, no dead people," Squall said, standing and grabbing his jacket. Quistis frowned. 

            "Well, there might have been," she said, following him out of the helicopter. "Besides, I don't trust that pilot."

            "You too?" Squall asked sarcastically. 

            A car was waiting to pick them up, and crowds of waving people stood behind barriers on either side of it. It was times like these that Squall realized just how well liked his father was. Laguna was hopping around and talking to people who had stood waiting for their arrival. Squall wondered what he talked to them about; he knew he'd never be able to easily take up a conversation like his father did. Slowly he began to walk towards the car, when suddenly he was surrounded by bodyguards.

            "What's happening?" he asked annoyed, suddenly, no one seemed to want to explain. 

            "The church belfry now, go, go!" The head of security shouted. 

            A shot was suddenly fired from somewhere high. It zoomed over the heads of the spectators and sparked across the car, finally hitting Squall and making him fall. 

            Squall felt something bite into the top of his leg and the next thing he knew he was fighting the black blobs forming over his eyes. People were screaming and crying around him, and he was vaguely aware that he was being lifted into a vehicle. With so many people gathered in one place, there were already ambulances watching from the background, and Squall realized that it was into one of these ambulances that was being lifted. Laguna was being pulled into a car along with Quistis, and was desperately trying to get to Squall. Another shot rang out but hit the pavement and another hit the helicopter. 

***

            The man in the belfry lined up his shot and fired. He watched as it hit Squall, and he quickly lined up again, knowing that he wouldn't have long until they found him. However, they discovered him a lot quicker than he'd expected. Two more shots were fired from his gun by a slip of his hand before he was finally wrestled to the ground and handcuffed. 

            "We have the sniper. Lock down the area," The head of security said into his radio. He looked at the shooter and let his fist connect with the man's jaw in an abrupt way. "Are you the only one?" 

            The man mumbled. 

            "He asked you a question," shouted another. 

            "Yes...I am the only one," The shooter said, flinching away from the man who had hit him. 

            "Take him away."  

***

            Squall tried to sit up, but someone was pushing him down. A mask with oxygen was placed over his face, and he fought to push it away. He was panicking, and he knew that he shouldn't. He'd been shot, knew he had, he could remember what it felt like. The pain in his leg heightened, now that he was thinking about it, and he suddenly felt sick. The hands were forcing the mask over his face once again, despite his protests and he began gasping for air. Finally they noticed something was wrong, and let him remove the mask. 

            "You must breathe this," a lady said, pushing it back on his face. Squall finally stopped panicking long enough to realize the reason he was feeling so sick was that he was breathing anything. After taking a deep breath he began to relax and almost fell asleep but the lady kept him awake, much to his annoyance. 

            The more she kept him awake the more he began to shake and become frightened again. By the time they got to the hospital he was beginning to go into shock. As soon as he was through the doors, he was quickly rushed to surgery. 

Squall awoke five hours later in a ward filled with bright lights. Someone was there beside him holding his hand and whoever it was, was resting their head on the bed. 

            "Ouch," Squall mumbled. 

            "Squall!" 

            "Rinoa? When did you..." Squall asked, struggling to move. 

            "Shh, Squall. You need to rest," she said quietly. She placed her finger over his mouth to silence him and pushed him back down.  

            "How did you know?" he asked, refusing to be quiet. 

            "I'll explain everything later. Now, Squall please, the surgeons are coming to see you later, you must rest in the meantime," Rinoa said, stoking his hand and speaking softly. Squall nodded and lay his head back down. "Are you in any pain, Squall?" 

            "No, I'm just fine," he said, forcing a smile. Of course he was in pain, but he wasn't about to tell Rinoa that. He knew there was very little anyone could do, anyway. They'd only inject him with something to knock him out, or fill him with strange pills. At the moment the pain was bearable. Besides, it wasn't as bad as some of the things he'd gone through before. 

            He was still confused about how Rinoa had gotten here so soon after he had. But she was right, he really needed to rest, and slowly he began to fall back asleep. 

            "Squall?" Rinoa whispered. 

            "Hmm?"

            "I need to go home to change. But I'll be right back--I promise. Besides, I think Ellone wants to sit with you," Rinoa explained. 

            "Alright," Squall replied quietly, his breathing becoming heavier, signalling sleep. Rinoa kissed him gently on the forehead and stood up to leave. 

            She found Ellone waiting outside, her head in her hands and staring at the floor. 

            "You can go in now. I'm just going home to change, I'll be back soon," Rinoa said softly. Ellone looked up, tears in her eyes. 

            "I wish you'd tell me what's happening. I know you know. Why won't you tell me?" Ellone asked in a way that made Rinoa feel guilty. 

            "It's not for me to say. I wasn't supposed to know anything; I just seemed to get sucked into it by accident," Rinoa explained. Ellone sobbed again and looked back at the floor. "Listen," Rinoa said, bending down. "Remember you said something happened to him at Garden, and he never recovered?" 

            Ellone nodded.

            "Never recovered until he met you," she sniffed. 

            "Well, it's happening all over again, and he's going to need all the support you can give. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but it's really not up to me," Rinoa said sadly. Ellone nodded. 

            "I understand," she said finally after a long pause. "You go on now."

            Rinoa nodded and left. She wasn't sure whether what she had said to Ellone had helped or not, only that she felt better now for saying something, at least. 

            Now, without any form or transport at all, Rinoa waved for a taxi and used the last of her money to get home.    

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed. 

Chrono-Maku, Lady Yevon, omnitoad, The Angel of the Lion, La Senioriza, remote mime, Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart, Mariko, AngelPrinczess29, FFgal.

And a special thank you to Bianka-Chan for beta-ing, and helping me to get these chapters out a lot sooner that I would alone. :)     


	13. He can’t take this from us

            **Chapter 13******

**He can't take this from us******

When Rinoa had returned to her apartment, she had laid on her bed and cried until she could move no longer. She had woken up the next morning to the sound of a television playing loudly next door. It told her that Squall was in a stable condition and that no others had been hurt. Of course she already knew this, but it was nice to be reassured. Looking at the time, Rinoa realized that she had wasted enough of it and stood up to get dressed. 

Everything was happening as if it was some sort of bad dream, and that Rinoa was walking without feeling anything. She supposed this is what people called shock, and it was the most overwhelming feeling she had ever experienced. The thought of losing Squall frightened her to her very soul and made her wonder if whether she'd ever survive without him. She knew Squall would never allow her to think that way if he knew, but she supposed those were the feelings that hid in your heart when you were in love. She couldn't live without him. 

            Taking a quick shower and stumbling around her flat in a daze, Rinoa left once again for the hospital. 

***

            Squall stared at the small television screen that was showing him pictures of his attacker. His was jaw was set against emotion, and he hardly acknowledged Rinoa when she walked into the room. 

            "You gave your statement, I suppose," he said, still staring at the screen. Rinoa took a chair from the side of the ward and brought it up to the side of his bed. She sat down upon it. 

            "I gave them evidence, yes," she replied. Squall looked over to her, his face expressionless, then returned to the TV. "Oh, Squall," she whispered, taking Squall's hand. 

            He snatched it away from her, but it resulted in causing himself pain. 

            "What are you doing here?" 

            Rinoa startled. 

            "I...I came to see you. I was worried. I came to be with you," Rinoa said, trying to reach for him again. He turned away from her. 

            "I don't want your pity, Rinoa," Squall said, staring at the wall. Rinoa felt tears well up in her eyes. 

            The doctor had prepared her that once the shock had worn off, Squall may slip into a state of depression. She didn't pity him, yes, he was injured, but he hadn't changed, he was still Squall.

            "Squall, nothing has changed," she whispered, her voice shaking from the tears.

            "It changes me."

            "Squall, you beat this before, you can do it again." 

            "What do you know of before?" he snapped, turning to face her. "What do know of anything apart from what you want? All this time I have waited for you, and it's only now that you see me wounded that you decide to be with me."

            "That's not true!"

            "Stop it, Rinoa. Stop lying to me," Squall said, turning back to face the TV. His face clearly showed his pain, and it hurt Rinoa to see him so.

            "He told me everything, everything about your past, and what he did. And yes, then I did pity you--I'd have pitied anyone who had to go through something like that. But when he told me about the sniper, I couldn't breathe. It was as if everything I had ever done in my life had been for nothing. What was it worth if you weren't there with me? I couldn't let him win. I'd worked so hard for everything and finally found someone who I loved above it all. Who was he to take it all away from me? And when I arrived back here, I thought I'd been too late. I couldn't think, I couldn't see anything, and I refused to listen to the man in the uniform, who I knew was going to tell me I'd found out too late. But when he told me you were alright, I could do nothing but cry. I'd never felt anything like that before Squall, except..."

            "Except, what?" Squall asked quietly. He had listened to Rinoa's words, first with doubt, and then with more belief. Maybe she really did care. 

            "Except, when I look in your eyes, and my heart races and all I can think of is how I want you to kiss me. That's when I know that, no matter what happens, I can't let you go," she said softly, her eyes shimmering with tears that fell slowly and steadily down her cheek. "I love you, Squall, and I am so sorry it took me so long to say it."

            Rinoa looked at him expectantly, but Squall refused to look at her. 

            "I am sorry, Rinoa, that you have to see me like this," Squall said, looking down at their held hands. "You should go now."

            Rinoa searched his face and found nothing, it was if he'd retreated into a shell, and all that was left was a shadow of someone she used to know. 

            "No. I won't leave until you listen to me. I love you, Squall. I've always loved you, even all those times that I pretended not to. I was a fool to push you away, but I would be even more of a fool if I let you slip away from me now. Squall please, please look at me," Rinoa pleaded, her heart hammering in her chest. He had to look at her. 

            Squall dropped his eyes from the TV and looked slowly up at her. Rinoa tightened her hold on his hand and waited, she knew her heart was breaking every second that he made her wait. 

            "I love you, too, Rinoa," he said finally, watching her as she burst into tears and buried her face into the bed to cry. 

            "I'm sorry for all the games I played you through, I didn't understand what I was feeling before," Rinoa said as Squall tilted her face upwards. "You asked me a question once, and I turned you away. But I am ready to be with you now, if you will have me."

            Squall watched her silently.

            "Are you saying that you will marry me?" 

            Rinoa let her last of her tears fall from her cheek to her arm below and smiled.

            "If you will asked me," she whispered, frightened. Squall tilted his head to look at the whole of her and smirked. 

            "Well, in that case...Rinoa, will you marry me?" 

            Rinoa let out a sob of happiness, and let herself fill with another wave of tears. 

            "Yes. Of course I will," she whispered, climbing onto the bed to kiss him. She laughed and laid down beside him as Squall ran his hand down her side and tickled her. 

The next few moments past them in a blur.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked as they lay there in content silence. 

            "I don't know." 

            Rinoa laid her head back down, closed her eyes against the world, and basked in the unexpected feeling of happiness. When she had listened to that screaming and panic on the radio, this wasn't the ending she had been expecting. But then nothing in her life had ever gone how she'd expected.   

***

            There were loud jubilant voices heard outside the room, and Rinoa sat up suddenly to listen. Just as she began to recognize the voices, Squall groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. Rinoa found out why, as the door was flung open and four excited people ambled in. 

            "Squall! My main man! How ya doing?" Zell shouted as he carried over the most enormous teddy bear Rinoa had ever seen. "We brought you a selection of get well messages from the public. Look at this bear. It's bigger than Ellone." 

            "How're you feeling Squall?" Ellone asked, pointing to a chair that Zell could put the toy on. 

            Nobody seemed to have noticed that Rinoa was in the room. Gloria pushed her way to the front and stroked Squall's hair from his forehead, whilst looking at him as a mother would. 

            "Your father has been really worried; they wouldn't let him stay the night," she said, smiling warmly, and then straightened up. "Hello, Rinoa dear. How are you?" she asked softly. 

            "I'm fine, thank you," Rinoa said, although she felt much better than fine. 

            "Good, good. Squall, me and your father have news. Honey, come here and tell your son," she ordered, beckoning to Laguna who was hovering at the back.

            "Yeah, hi, Squall... Well, you see the news is...me and Gloria are getting married in two months," he said, smiling slightly. 

            Rinoa dug her fingernails into Squall's arm at the news and looked worriedly up at his face. He still wasn't ready for so many visitors, and Rinoa wasn't sure how he was going to take this new information. 

            "In November?" he asked slowly, as if the words themselves were confused. Rinoa bit her lip. 

            "Yes, of course you'll be able to walk by then," Laguna said, smiling. Gloria hit him hard in the side and smiled weakly at Squall. "Well...I hope so," Laguna added after realizing what he'd said. 

            Squall looked down at his bed, as if looking straight through the blankets and at his unusable leg.   

            "Sounds great," he mumbled. Rinoa looked at all the worried faces around them, and turned to Squall with saddened eyes. 

            "Well, I suppose we better leave you alone now, Squall. You get some rest, and we'll come back later," Gloria said, pushing Laguna out of the room. The plan had been to cheer Squall up, but so far they had only resulted in making him even more depressed. 

            Squall watched them leave and then looked at his sister. 

            "So, how's the world out there?"

            "It's falling to pieces without you. Well, it is for me at least," she replied, walking forward and sitting on the end of the bed. "They traced the sniper back to that Quikstine bloke, he's been found guilty and declared sane. They're going to, um, end his life next week." 

            Squall nodded. 

            "How nice. And you and Zell are...still..."

            "Oh yes, still..." Ellone said answering the question without having to say anything. "Well, Zell?"

            "Uh, what?" Zell shouted, coming out of his daydream. 

            "What happened to those chocolates?" Ellone asked, looking about her. "Zell give Squall and Rin some--they're really good." 

            Rinoa reluctantly accepted a chocolate and bit into it without caring about the taste. 

            "Thanks." 

            Her good mood was slowly slipping away. The room was filled suddenly by an awkward silence, and all looked at anything but each other.    

            "I suppose there will be a lot of people at father's wedding," Ellone said, looking nervously around.

            "Yes, I suppose so," Squall answered in a bored voice. 

            "Well, I guess I'll have to buy a hat. I don't have a hat," Ellone said, realizing the conversation was becoming more and more dry with every attempt. "No, I don't have a hat."

            "When is your operation, Squall?" Rinoa asked nervously. 

            "This evening," he answered not looking at her. "They are going to replace my bone with a metal rod; it'll take months before I can walk again," he added, informing his sister of what was going to happen. "The operation shouldn't take long, maybe a few hours, at the most."

            "Oh," Ellone said, looking down. "It won't be painful, will it?"

            Squall laughed. 

            "What do you think?"

            "But you'll be asleep, right?" she asked again, disturbed by Squall's answer. 

            "Well, I bloody well hope so," Squall said, flicking some dirt off of his bed. "Yes, Ellone, I will," he added after seeing her worried face. 

            "Oh, oh good." She looked to Zell for help. 

            "Err yeah, that's good," he repeated, looking uncomfortable.

            "Thanks for bringing all the cards and things guys. I'll read some when things stop turning fuzzy," Squall said, looking at the bundle. 

            "Fuzzy! Do you need a nurse?" Rinoa asked, springing up. 

            "No, it's because of the nurse and her drugs that everything's fuzzy. Plus, they won't let me eat or drink until tomorrow morning, not that I'll want to then," Squall said, smiling weakly. 

            "We better be going," Ellone said, standing. "I think we interrupted you when we first arrived, and we should really leave you alone now. Me and dad will be back in the morning to see how you are. We won't wake you if you're sleeping. Come on, Zell."

            "Yeah, get well soon, mate. Nice to see ya again, Rinoa," Zell said, holding his hand up in a wave as he was pulled out of the room. 

            "Bye," Squall called after them. "So," He said turning to Rinoa. "Where were we?" 

            Rinoa hit him softly on the arm and began laughing. They remained there staring at the TV until the doctors came in for Squall. 

            "I'll be here when you wake up Squall, I promise," Rinoa said as they pushed her out of the way. A nurse took hold of her hand and led her down the corridor away from Squall. 

            "We can offer you a bed for the night if you want to stay," she said, smiling. 

            "Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you," Rinoa said, relieved she wouldn't have to leave.

            "However I must know your connection to the patient," she said, readying her pen and clipboard for Rinoa's name. 

            "I...I'm his fiancé."          

***

            Squall's operation went without complications, and two days later he was able to leave the hospital and go home. Their engagement was announced a week before Laguna's wedding, and Squall was finally able to buy Rinoa the ring he had always imagined buying her. Suddenly there was too much happiness in his life, and Squall found himself dreading the day when it would all again be taken away. Things never stayed the same for long, but he had finally learned to appreciate each day as if it was his last, as he knew very well how easily it could be. 

 But until that day, he was determined to see that both he and his future wife were content, with whatever life might throw. 

            Rinoa quit her job the day Squall left the hospital. She gave full interviews for the paper on her involvement in the attack, and gave the money she earned from the story to the ward that had looked after Squall. On announcing their engagement to Squall's family, and to the world, Rinoa received a multitude of presents. But none were as special to her as the gift she received from her friends, Selphie and Irvine. A large book covered in a soft pink material turned out to be a sort of diary with a difference. Instead of a page for everyday, there was a few pages for one entry per month, complete with places for pictures. Rinoa began it with September, and wrote about her and Squall's engagement and all the congratulations they had received. November would bring her and Squall's marriage that one step closer and if she turned a few pages further, she could smile on the day that would be, at last, theirs. 

**The End.**

**A/N: **_More chapters will be on the way soon, but as far as 'narrator' story telling goes, that was the last. The next will be a series in which is told in first person through Rinoa's diary; which will be added in the hope of tying up loose ends so that you won't be plagued by a third story, and so that I can rest easy at night. _

_Thank you to everyone who has read this fic, and contributed by writing me a review. Every comment made by you (readers) has been greatly appreciated. _

_Also thank you to Bianka-Chan for beta-ing, and __Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart for sending me a card! :) _

_Please review!  _


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